


The Fire in Her Eyes

by AngelicAnimal



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:21:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 33,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22045534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelicAnimal/pseuds/AngelicAnimal
Summary: For as long as Hope could remember, she'd always been alone.Her family was scattered all over the place and her mom and dad were both gone. Hope knew it was her fault. No one blamed her, but she did. So she distanced herself, right from the beginning. Its easier to be alone, then to be heartbroken by someone leaving you.So that was Hope's life motto.She worked as a freelance artist, so she was able to control the amount of time she spent in public. The only people she truly talked to were the twins.She met them when she was young, and although they didnt get along at first, they all found years later that they had more in common than originally thought.Once they got older, however, Hope found herself more and more alone.The twins each found someone who made them happy and Hope began to feel like a third wheel... or is it a 5th wheel.. she wasn't quite sure.Hope made the decision to move out on her own but she did talk to the sisters every now and then.Still, for the most part, Hope was truly alone. And that was just the way she wanted it.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson & Josie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson & Lizzie Saltzman, Landon Kirby & Hope Mikaelson, Landon Kirby & Rafael Waithe, Landon Kirby/Hope Mikaelson, Penelope Park & Josie Saltzman, Penelope Park/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 54
Kudos: 173





	1. Chapter 1

It was late on a Friday night, and the streets were lit up. There was music lingering in the air, and voices carried on the wind by groups of people enjoying themselves somewhere down the way. 

A petite figure all dressed in black was standing on the side of the road, her gaze focused somewhere in the distance.  
She pulled the hat down further on her head, covering her ears. Her auburn hair spilled down her back in wild waves.

There was a chill in the air, and she wrapped her arms around herself to try to maintain some heat.

She seemed lost in thought, standing there in the dark. 

There was a couple that passed by, giggling with each other. But when they got closer to the girl, they slowed down and stared at her before continuing on their way.

But that small interaction was all she needed to break out of her trance. 

She shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. She took a deep breath and stepped into the street. Home wasnt far away and she walked fast. 

She lived in a tiny apartment on the top floor and she had always preferred to come home at night so she could avoid any of her neighbours.

When she got inside, she tossed her keys into a bowl on a side table and kicked her boots off.

She threw her coat over the couch before heading into the kitchen. 

There wasn't much to eat, but Hope was ok with chopping up an apple as a snack.  
She didn't need much, and she had forgotten to order her groceries online.

I'll do it tomorrow she thought to herself before plopping down on the couch.

She grabbed her sketchbook and pencils and starting working on her next sketch while nibbling on her apple slices. 

Her phone beeped and when she checked it, she saw Lizzie's face pop up on screen.

"Hey Lizzie" Hope said as the video connected.

"Hey Hope!!" 

Hope could hear laughter in the background mixing with whatever music was playing.

"Are you seriously alone again? Hope! Its Friday night! You should be out, enjoying the city or something!"

Hope rolled her eyes. This wasn't the first time she heard this, it wouldn't be the last. 

The twins tagged team the same argument with her every week. 

She heard the same thing last week from Josie, and her girlfriend was starting to chime in now too. 

"Yeah I know Lizzie" Hope said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.  
She knew the drill. Tell them what they wanted to hear and then she could hang up and go about doing absolutely nothing. 

"Not going to work this time Hope" Lizzie said. "I'm serious. Jo is on her way with Penelope and you are going to go out"

Hope shook her head "No, Come on! No!"

At that moment, Hope could hear her buzzer going off. 

"Too late, see you soon" Lizzie chimed before hanging up. 

Another beep on her phone but this time from Josie. 

A text message. 

"If you don't let us in, I will resort to using my key "

Hope sighed before walking over to the buzzer to let them in. 

It didn't take long for them to make their way to Hope's door, and she had it open, waiting. 

"Remind me again why I gave you a key?" Hope asked Josie. 

"Because you loooooove me" Josie sang out before embracing Hope and hugging her tight.

Penelope was right behind her, but thankfully did not ask for a hug. 

Hope wasn't a huge fan of personal affection, and only tolerated it from the twins. 

"Hey Hope" Penelope said once Josie let Hope go. 

Hope nodded at her and turned back to go sit on her couch. 

"You aren't going out like that" Josie said with a pout. 

"Cmon Jo!" Hope cried out "That doesnt work on me"

Josie had a twinkle in her eye, daring Hope to defy her.

Hope threw her hands up in the air in defeat.

"Fine!" Hope yelled before heading into her bedroom.

Josie highfived her girlfriend. 

"Works every time" she smirked.

"How fancy are you expecting Jo?" Hope called out.

"Medium fancy? I don't know. What do you think Pen?"

Hope could hear the way Josie's voice softened when she spoke to Penelope.

"Jeans and a nice shirt?" Penelope suggested.

"Something lowcut!" Josie added.

Hope rolled her eyes. Of course. She threw on her favorite pair of jeans and a red shirt, lowcut as per Josie's request.

Hope knew that if she went out there and Josie didn't approve, it would mean Josie would be in the room making Hope perform a fashion show until she liked something.

Hope wanted desperately to avoid that. She sighed looking at herself in the mirror.

"I'm going to regret this" she said to herself.

When Hope walked out of her room, her best friend was sitting in her girlfriend's lap, with her fingertips just under the waistband of Penelope's shirt. 

Hope made a noise with her throat, alerting them to her presence. Josie turned to look at her, no shame whatsoever on her face. She kissed her girl again before getting up to inspect Hope.

Luckily, Josie approved of her outfit choice.

"Let's go" she said, pulling Penelope up from the couch.  
She wrapped her arm around Pen's waist and grabbed Hope's hand with her free hand.

Hope sighed. "I'm going to regret this" she muttered under her breath again.


	2. Chapter 2

"So where are we going?" Hope asked Josie.

Penelope was driving and Hope sat in the back seat .

Typical third wheel she laughed to herself.

"You will see when we get there Hope" Josie laughed.

Hope sighed. If Josie was withholding information, it's because she knew Hope would object right away.

Hope's stomach was in knots and she could feel her body trembling.

She really hated going out. She always got nervous around new people. What was the point of meeting new people? No one would stay long enough to really know her, and if they tried, she usually chased them away pretty quickly.

No one likes a challenge. Or no one Hope had ever met did anyways.

A part of her wanted someone to fight for her. She wanted someone to see her as being someone worthy of waiting and fighting for.

She was jealous of the twins sometimes. She loved them, but she was jealous of their ability to love so easily. 

"Earth to Hope" she heard Josie call out, snapping her fingers in Hope's face.

Hope blinked, breaking herself out of her thoughts.

"We're here?" Hope asked.

Josie nodded. She got out of the car and linked her arm with Penelope's. 

Hope was disappointed to see that they had arrived at a karaoke bar. If there was one thing she hated more than being in a crowd, it was being in a crowd while singing!

But Josie loved to sing, so this wasn't out of character for her to want to come here.

"Lizzie and MG are inside" Josie says to Hope before grabbing her hand and pulling her up beside her.

Hope muttered a few words under her breath before plastering on a fake smile and following her friend inside.

The place was loud and smoky. The girls spotted Lizzie pretty quickly. She was decked out, looking like a goddess of course. Lizzie took fashion to a whole new level. There was never a day that she didn't look fantastic.

Lizzie and Josie embraced and squealed in delight.  
Penelope chuckled and leaned into the hug as well.  
She whispered into Josie's ear and Hope saw Josie nod.  
Penelope turned and headed to the bar.

Lizzie turned her attention on Hope and leaned in for a hug. 

"C'mon babe" MG said to Lizzie. "You know she hates hugs" he laughed and winked at Hope.

Hope smiled back. She really liked MG and he grounded Lizzie like no one else could before him.

"Not from me" she shot back at him. But she still let go of Hope and pulled MG in close to her instead.

"I'm going to get a drink" Hope said to them.

She waved to Josie, who had already made her way to the front, adding her name into the mix.

Hope passed by Penelope, who had two drinks in her hands. Penelope nodded in her direction.

"Crown and coke please?" she asked the bartender.

She turned and leaned against the bar, waiting for her order.

"Hey" she heard a deep voice call out to her.

She turned, thinking it was the bartender but realized the voice had come from her right and not behind her.

She cocked her head to the side and made eye contact with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen.

Hope stood there, mouth slightly open, staring at him.

"Hi" she finally managed to squeak out.

"First time here?" He asked.

Hope nodded. 

"I'm with, um, my friends" Hope mumbled, nodding her head towards the table her friends were at.

He looked over towards them. 

"You're friends with MG? " he asked surprised.

"Uh, well, his girlfriend actually. And her sister." 

He nodded in understanding. 

"You gonna sing?" 

Hope laughed. "Not a chance!" She replied.

"I'm not nearly brave enough" she added quickly.

"Crown and coke" Hope heard the bartender behind her.

She turned to grab her drink and slid some money onto the bar.

"It was nice to meet you" she heard the guy beside her say.

"You too" she said back to him before walking away.

She wanted to look back, to see if he was looking at her, but she fought the urge.  
Nothing good comes out of knowing people Hope, she told herself.

"Oooh" she heard Josie squeal. "Who was that?" 

She pointed towards the bar, but Hope just shrugged her shoulders. 

"I don't know" she said.

When she didn't think anyone was looking, she glanced briefly in his direction but she was disappointed that he wasn't there anymore.

Suddenly a familiar voice shouted out from the stage.

Josie nudged Hope with her elbow, a sly smile on her face.

Hope looked up to see the guy at the bar on the stage, sitting on a stool, holding a guitar.

He had dark jeans on, and a tight shirt, showing off the muscles in his arms. 

God he was beautiful Hope thought.

Wait, what the hell is happening?  
Stop it! she told herself.

But she couldn't tear her eyes away from him up on that stage

"My name is Landon Kirby and this song is dedicated to the girl with fire in her eyes" he said, staring directly at Hope.

He started strumming the guitar, and began to sing.

Hope could feel the music hit her, and the sound of his voice gave her whole body goosebumps.

She stood mesmorized. 

When he finished, the whole room clapped and cheered.

"Wow" Lizzie said, fanning herself.

"Hey!" MG cried out playfully. "Should I be worried?"

Lizzie laughed.

"I'm pretty sure he only has eyes for Hope " she said with a twinkle in her eye.

"So you're name is Hope" she heard behind her.

Hope jumped. She turned to find Landon standing there, only a few feet away from her.

The space between them was charged. Hope wondered if he could feel it too.

He reached out and took her hand. The jolt of electricity she felt in her body made her knees weak.

He softly rubbed his thumb along her hand before flipping it over so her palm was face up.

He took the pen she hadn't noticed him holding until then and wrote his number on her palm. Then, probably to drive her crazy, added a tiny heart beside it.

He held on a little longer than was normal, looking into her eyes, before letting go and turning away without saying a word.

Hope was breathless. 

"Oh boy" she mumbled to herself sarcastically.


	3. Chapter 3

Hope turned to MG and Lizzie. 

"Do you know him?" Hope asked. 

"Sort of." MG replied. "I know his brother Raf. We work together, and they come here quite often."

"Landon usually keeps to himself though" he continued. 

Hope looked at the number he left on her hand. She wanted desperately to add it to her phone, but knew that in doing so would open up emotions in Hope that she was really not wanting to open up.

She finished her drink and went to the bar to order another. She looked around to see if Landon was around, but was disappointed when her drink came and he had not.

She walked back to the table just as Josie and Penelope made their way on stage. 

They really were a power duo, and everyone couldn't help but stare at them on stage. And even though they were very clearly in love, it didn't stop practically half the club to be panting over their performance.

Hope had reached her limit of socializing after her second drink. Once Josie and Penelope came off the stage, she called them over to their table so she could let them all know she was leaving.

"No Hope!" Lizzie pouted. "You just got here!"

Josie looked disappointed and shook her head at Hope.

"Guys, please?" Hope begged. 

"You don't have to leave though, I'll take a cab. It's ok really" 

The twins knew better than to push Hope too far and so they relented. MG insisted on driving Hope home but Hope refused. 

She grabbed her coat, hugged the girls goodbye and took off. She used the app on her phone to get a ride and went to wait outside for it.

"Leaving already?" she heard behind her.

She turned to see Landon standing a few feet behind her, holding his guitar case in one hand and his phone in the other. 

"Yeah, uh, I have an early morning" she lied before looking away from him. For some reason she couldn't lie to his face, not when he was staring at her the way he was.

"Are you going to call me?" he asked point blank.

Hope couldn't help but blush. 

"Probably not" she said quietly. She looked at him to gauge his reaction. 

He smiled slyly, his eyes sparkling. 

"I guess I'm going to have to change your mind then aren't I?" He gave her a quick wink and then took steps towards her.

Instinctively she took a step back. 

"I promise I won't bite" 

God he sounded so sexy Hope thought. She willed herself to keep still while he kept inching himself towards her.

He reached out and put his hand on her phone, which she held tightly in her hand.

"May I?" he asked. She didn't realize she was nodding until he carefully took the phone out of her hand.

His fingers moved so quickly across her keyboard that she couldn't help but think about what his fingers would feel like on her body.

Stop it! she thought to herself.

As he handed her phone back to her, she heard his phone beep. He winked at her again and smiled wide.

"Now I have your number" he said smoothly.

She heard a beep behind her and noticed that her ride had arrived.

He was still standing close to her and she could smell his cologne. She licked her lips and took a deep breath. 

"I should go" she said shakily. 

"Ok" he said. 

"Bye Landon" 

She got into the car and turned to look at him. She expected to see him walking away but was surprised to see him in the same spot, watching as the car pulled away.

She laid her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. 

She wasn't sure what was happening, but she couldn't stop her hands from trembling and her heart from racing. 

Her phone beeped. She looked down at it in her hands and saw Landon's name flash on the screen.

"Just wanted to see if it worked" it read, and then followed by the winking emoji.

Maybe she wasn't going to regret going out after all.


	4. Chapter 4

When Hope got home, she changed into her favorite sweatpants and an old tshirt of her mom's. It was her favorite thing to sleep in and made her feel close to her mom in the only way she could. She turned on some music for background noise and curled on the couch under her favorite blanket. She grabbed her sketchbook out again and turned to a crisp new page. Whenever Hope felt stressed, or anxious or just needed a release, she would mindlessly sketch. She would let her hand do the talking without giving it any thought. Her best paintings were usually a result of these sessions. Her own private little therapy sessions, Lizzie would say. To be honest though, Hope loved boxing and usually that was her favorite way to let go. She had found a private, not very populated gym not too far from her apartment and when Hope wasn't working, she was there. It wasn't really the desire to keep herself in shape, but more the need to just let go, and most of all, to keep her brain busy from thinking. She wished she could go to the gym right now, but it was late, so sketching was the next best option. She started humming as she sketched, and was surprised to hear that it was the song Landon had dedicated to her. _What was that song?_

When her phone rang, she didn't hear it at first. She had her eyes closed, just for a brief moment, and had zoned out.  
When it rang again, she noticed it was Lizzie again.

"I'm home, I'm fine, see?" Hope said as Lizzie's face appeared on the screen. She moved her phone around her living room dramatically. 

"Why did you bail on us so quickly Hope?" Lizzie pouted. "We didn't even really get to talk"

"I just, I wasn't feeling it Liz" Hope said, her voice low. She looked away from the screen, because she couldn't stand disappointing her friends. How could she explain to them about what she was truly feeling?  
It terrified Hope to be close to people. She already broke her rules by caring for the twins. What more do they want from her?

"Hope, I know you have this whole martyr complex happening and all, but its getting frustrating. I'm not trying to be a bitch but we are only trying to help you. If we weren't around, you would be wallowing in that apartment by yourself for the rest of your life." 

"Babe, that's kind of harsh don't you think?" Hope heard MG say in the background.

Hope turned the camera away from her face, fighting back tears. 

Hope knew Lizzie had a point, and she had gone out with them. She had tried. She really wasn't planning on bailing so quickly, but then Landon happened.  
And the way her body responded to him, terrified her in a way she had never felt before.

"Hope" Lizzie said, her voice muffled as Hope had put her phone into her lap so she could wipe the tears from her face.

Hope lifted the phone back up and looked back at Lizzie. Lizzie took one look at her and immediately crumbled. 

"I'm so sorry hun. I didn't mean to make you upset. We love you, you know that right?" 

Hope nodded and swallowed back a sob. 

"Hey um, can I ask you something?" Lizzie said softly. 

Hope nodded again. "Anything"

"Can you show me your sketchpad? I thought I noticed something when you flipped the camera before."

Hope gave her a look of confusion. But that look immediately changed to shock when she saw what she had been sketching. She gasped. 

"I didn't even realize.." Hope stammered when she held the picture up for Lizzie to see. 

Lizzie smiled. "Seems like someone made an impression after all"

Hope could see Lizzie whisper something into MG's ear, causing him to smile. 

"Gotta go!" she said quickly "Love you Hope!" and then she hung up. 

Hope stared at the blank screen for a moment, before turning back to her sketchpad. 

His eyes stared back at her. They were really spot on, and Hope couldn't help but be a little impressed with her own work. 

She softly trailed her finger against the cheek of her drawing before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. 

She was about to break one of her own rules, but she was feeling brave.  
Maybe it was Lizzie's speech, or maybe it was the fact that she clearly couldn't get him off her mind, but she knew she wanted to see Landon Kirby again. 

She went back to the text he had sent and her finger hovered over the reply button. Her heart was pounding and she was sure she was breaking out into a sweat. 

What should she say? What could she reply with that didn't make her sound silly? 

"You really aren't cut out for this Hope Mikaelson" she said out loud to herself.  
She debated with herself on what to say, even contemplating asking one of the twins to help her, but quickly dismissed that idea because she would never hear the end of it. 

She decided to just give an answer to the question he had asked, even though she knew he wasn't really expecting one. 

"It did. Great job" and pressed send quickly so that she couldn't erase it and chicken out.

She put her phone down, to try to ease the nerves she was feeling, but it didn't do much good. He probably wouldn't respond anyways. It was late, and a guy like him probably didn't have to worry too much about if a girl texted him or not. 

When her phone rang, she was in the kitchen, grabbing herself a drink of water. She ran to her phone, nearly tripping over the couch in the process. 

"Hello" she said, trying not to sound out of breath.

"Took you long enough" said the voice on the other end.


	5. Chapter 5

"It's been like 2 hours since I saw you" Hope said, raising her voice in a high squeak. _What does he expect?_

"2 hours too long in my opinion" Landon teased. 

"Well, I.. " Hope stumbled on her words, not really sure how to reply. 

"Relax Hope. I'm just teasing you. Of course, I hoped you would text me right away...maybe invite me over..." Landon hinted.

"Not a chance" Hope said sternly, but with a hint of sarcasm. She rolled her eyes, and was glad that Landon couldn't see how flushed she was.

Landon laughed. 

_Even his laugh was sexy._ Hope was finding it hard to come up with words.

"So, um," she stumbled, trying to think of what to say. 

"How about you go out with me?" he said, getting to the point. 

"I don't date" Hope replied. _Oh god, what was she doing?_

"No, clearly you misunderstood. I meant, you go somewhere, and I go somewhere and the somewhere just happen to be the same place at the same time"

Hope couldn't help but laugh. "Oh?" she said coyly. 

"Yeah, I'm just trying to give you the chance to gawk at me some more." 

"I was not gawking at you!" Hope said fiercely.

"You kind of were" Landon teased.

"Well, where was I supposed to look when you dedicate a song to me?!" Hope cried out, her face red and her hands shaking.

"Who said the song was for you?"

"Um, you stared at me as you were singing! What was I supposed to think?" Hope was getting animated, her hands flying in the air.

"You're adorable when you're worked up" Landon said laughing.

Hope shook her head. She couldn't believe how he affected her. She was smiling from ear to ear.

"So what do you do for fun?" Landon asked, changing the subject.

"I paint" Hope replied. "I like to box too"

"Remind me never to get on your bad side" Landon joked.

"You ever paint people?" he added.

Hope looked over at her sketchbook. "From time to time" she replied, smiling. 

"You? I mean, besides singing to strange girls in bars" Hope said sarcastically. 

"Are you saying you're strange?" Landon teased. 

Hope laughed. "Maybe a little" 

"I volunteer at a few places from time to time." Landon said casually. 

"I grew up in foster care, so helping other people is kind of a side passion of mine. Besides writing music"

Hope couldn't believe how amazing this guy was. Not only was he easy on the eyes, he was also kind and generous. 

Hope felt flushed. She could see herself really falling for this guy and it scared her more than anyone ever had. 

"Landon, I..." Hope said, changing her tone.

"Nope" he said cutting her off. "That's my cue to go. Tomorrow, coffee shop on Main Street. I'll be there at 1pm" and then he hung up. 

Hope sat there, phone to her ear, mouth open wide in surprise. 

Her heart was pounding and she felt more alive than she had in years. But the fear was strong. If she didn't show up, then he would probably walk. 

But if she did? _No_ _she can't_

Hope fought within herself. She knows what the twins would say, so asking them wouldn't help. What should she do?

Hope stared at the sketch she made earlier. 

_His eyes really are beautiful_

_Stop it!_

Hope sighed. 

She pulled out her phone and pulled up Landon's number.

"I can't. I'm sorry" Hope wrote and pressed send. 

She could feel the tears rising, and she didn't try to hold them back this time. 

Hope wrapped her arms around herself and cried. 

_It's for the best_ she thought to herself.  **** ~~~~


	6. Chapter 6

Hope didn't sleep well that night. She tossed and turned more than usual. and even when she got up, she still felt restless. 

She kept going back to the sketch and staring at it. How could someone she just met cause so much chaos in her body and mind already?

_Shake it off_

Hope tried to paint something else, but her mind just wouldn't turn off. She couldn't get her hands to stay still enough and eventually she just gave up.

She texted both the twins to see if either one was up yet but knew there was a very small chance at actually getting a response.

At 6am, Hope decided she was up for the day and hopped into the shower. She tried to scrub off the restlessness that her body felt, but even the hot water wasn't doing much.

Hope was frustrated and stomped around her apartment. She decided to go for a run in the hopes that it would help calm her down.

She got dressed in sweats and a long sleeve shirt and laced up her running shoes. She put her earbuds in and turned on a random playlist she made for jogging. 

It was still dark but Hope could see the sun trying to peak out from the horizon. It was always so peaceful in the morning, especially when most of the crowds were still in their own homes and not out in the street. 

Hope had the ability to drown out everything around her, easy when you choose to live a life of solitude. She ran down her usual route, passing by the gym she usually went to. 

_Definitely going to do a session later_ she thought to herself as she passed by.

When Hope finally made her way back around, she had started to calm down. The run did what it needed to do and Hope felt much calmer than she had in hours. She had some paintings to work on for clients, and so after she showered again, she put on some old clothes and sat down at the easel she had in the spare room of her apartment. She got a two bedroom so that she could turn one room into a studio. It had a fantastic view of the city and a huge window that Hope could open to get some air. 

When Hope painted, she lost herself. She would go into a whole other world, where only the paint and herself existed. Hope didn't realize how many hours she had been in there until her stomach grumbled. 

_Shit, I forgot to get groceries_

Hope looked at the clock and saw that it was 1:30pm. She purposely left her phone in the other room so it wouldn't distract her and when she checked it, she wasn't surprised to see she had a missed call from Lizzie and a few text messages. 

She scrolled through the messages, but stopped when she saw there was one from Landon. She was afraid to open it, but was pretty sure it was a goodbye, nice knowing you text. 

She tossed her phone on the couch, without opening anything and went into the kitchen to try to scrounge up some food. She managed to find some bread and peanut butter so she made herself a sandwich.

A buzz at the door stopped her midchew. Frustrated Hope got up to go answer the door. 

"Hello?" Hope said through the intercom. 

"Let us in!" she heard Lizzie say on the other end. Hope rolled her eyes. _Of course they are here_

Hope unlocked the door and sat back down at her table to finish her lunch.

Lizzie and Josie walked in, laughing and lightening the mood almost instantly. 

"I told you she was painting!" Josie said in a high pitched shriek, before playfully punching her sister in the arm. 

Lizzie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I never said you were wrong" 

Both Josie and Hope laughed. "So" Josie started "I heard you stood Landon up"

Hope opened her mouth in shock. _How the hell does she know?_

"I didn't stand him up. I just told him I couldn't meet him" Hope said defending herself.

"That's not how we hear it" Josie teased. 

Hope looked at her in frustration. Lizzie came to her sister's defense. "Hope, what Josie means is, we know he asked you out and we know you didn't show."

"Which" Lizzie continued "is absolutely crazy because the guy is super cute and clearly has the hots for you"

Hope shook her head. "I'm sure he has the hots for many girls. Like you said, he's cute, and he writes music. He's not lacking in the options category"

Lizzie sat next to Hope and took her hands in hers. "Hope, sweetie" Lizzie said "I'm going to tell you something that MG made me swear not to tell"

Hope looked at her in confusion. Josie sat down across from Hope and leaned in to listen.

"MG works with Raf, Landon's brother. I asked MG to get some intel after the club. I needed to make sure this guy was actually a good guy. When MG asked Raf, he said that this is unusual for Landon. The dude is a loner. All he ever does is work, volunteer and write music. Raf says that he hasn't even ever seen Landon with anyone. He never brings anyone home, and he usually just blows girls off at the club" 

Hope was confused. _Was this even the same Landon they were talking about?_

"I think you should give the guy a chance Hope" Josie piped in. "Sounds like he's perfect for you" adding a wink. 

"I really love you guys, you know that. But I just can't." Hope got up and walked into the kitchen to put her plate away. 

"I was going to head to the gym. You have a key, Jo. You can lock up" Hope walked into her room and shut the door. She leaned against it and closed her eyes. Her heart felt like it was pounding in her chest and she really needed to calm down.

Hope could hear the twins in the other room, whispering to each other. When Hope finally found the strength to get changed, she found the girls sitting on the couch, waiting for her.

Lizzie had the sketchbook in her hands, and was examining it. 

"You really captured his eyes here Hope" Lizzie said casually. Both Josie and Lizzie were looking at Hope, waiting for her to say something back. But Hope had no fight in her. She gave a little nod and then turned away and walked out the door.

Hope jogged to the gym. It wasn't far and jogging usually helped warm her up for her training session. When she got inside, she started on her usual routine. 

Boxing always made her feel so powerful and in control. She loved it. 

She usually didn't pay attention to anyone else in the gym, not that there were many. But she wasn't feeling herself today. She was so out of sync with herself, that when she was half way done her circuit, she realized that she had forgotten her water bottle at home. She had been so rushed to leave the house, to get away from the twins and their questions, that she forgot her gym bag.

When she went to go grab a water from the desk up front, she didn't see Landon standing there until she crashed right into him. 

"Oh my god, I am so sorry" she said without looking up. 

"You don't hear me complaining" a deep familiar voice replied back. Hope looked up stunned. _What was he doing here?_

"I, what, how..." Hope stammered, unable to express a solid sentence. A half smile slowly formed on Landon's face.

"I was right. You are adorable when you are worked up"

Hope glared at him, and punched him in the arm. 

"Ouch!" he cried out playfully while rubbing his arm. 

"Why are you here?" Hope fired out. This was her space, it was her sanctuary. 

"Ok, please don't be mad at your friends, but I kind of asked them to help me" he said, his hands raised up in guilt. 

"What?! I'm going to kill them!" Hope said through gritted teeth. 

"Hope, I just wanted to see you again. And since you are so good at hiding, I needed some help. Plus, this isn't a date. Remember, same place, same time, together. Not a date. Promise" he said and crossed his heart. 

_He really is adorable_

Hope shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. 

"Fine" she said sternly.

His whole face lit up into a smile. "Great. So.. where do we start?" Hope rolled her eyes and groaned. She grabbed her water and turned away.

"Just try to keep up" she said quickly before walking off. He smiled and followed after her.

Hope and Landon actually had a lot of fun working out together. Hope noticed Landon was actually quite silly and had a great sense of humor. She found herself laughing quite a bit and didn't realize how quickly the time went by.

"I think I tap Hope" Landon said, tapping the wall with his free hand. "I don't think I have ever used these muscles" he laughed.

Landon put his hands on his hips and stretched his back out. Hope couldn't help but giggle at him. 

"You're the one who wanted to join me" Hope teased. "It's your own fault. I never agreed to take it easy on you"

Landon winked at her. "Oh, I enjoyed myself, don't get me wrong" he laughed. "But I will need a good hot soak in the tub later"

Hope smiled, and shook her head. _Why was it so easy to be around him?_

"So, umm" he starts to say "Is this the part where you run? Or can we still be in the same place" Landon had a hopeful look on his face and Hope couldn't help but look away. 

"Landon" she said softly. "I.." but before she could continue, her phone rang. 

"Saved by the bell" he chuckled. 

Hope answered it. "I'm going to kill you" she said to Lizzie. Landon laughed.

"Give him a chance Hope." Lizzie replied. "But that's not why I called. Josie and I decided we're having a movie night at your house. Penelope and MG are coming over. Bring Landon!"

"Seriously Lizzie? You guys can't just make plans at my house whenever you want!" Hope yelled. She looked at Landon and shook her head in frustration. He stood there, his hands in his pockets, not saying a word.

Josie took the phone from Lizzie, "you act like we haven't done this before Hope"

Hope could hear Josie clucking her tongue and pictured her shaking her head at Lizzie at the same time.

"Face it Hope. You love us and you know you need this just as much as we do" 

Hope sighed. _They were right of course._

"Fine" Hope said in defeat. She knew the twins meant well, but sometimes she wished they would actually talk to her before making decisions. 

_Would you listen to them though?_ She shook that thought from her head and looked up at Landon.

"The twins have invited you over to a movie night at my place.." Hope trailed off, looking away from him.

"Do you want me to go?" Landon asked Hope with sincerity. "I'm not going to say yes unless you are comfortable with it."

Hope chewed her lip, lost in thought. _Do i?_

"Let me just say something Hope, before you decide." He cleared his throat and looked at her. She nodded.

"I know that you don't date, and I'm not going to push you to do anything you don't want to do. But I feel something with you, something I have never felt before. And I want to be around you. That being said, I will go at your pace. I won't rush anything and I will respect every boundary you give me. All I ask is for you to try. Please just try" Landon looked at Hope with sad eyes. 

Hope was taken back. She was surprised with how honest he was being. _Could she give him a chance?_

Hope could feel the anxiety bubbling inside her. She was terrified of being around him, because of how much she found she actually liked him, but she didn't like the idea of not being around him either.

_What do I do?_

She thought back to what Lizzie said. _Give him a chance_

"Ok" she said in a soft voice, almost so low that Landon wasn't sure he heard her correctly. 

"OK?" he repeated. 

"Ok" she said louder. He smiled at her and Hope could feel her heart rate speed up. 

"I uh, jogged here" Hope mentioned. 

"We'll take my car" Landon said, his eyes twinkling. 

"Let's go"


	7. Chapter 7

The drive to Hope's place from the gym wasn't a long one, and was spent mostly in silence. 

Hope wanted to say something to Landon, but wasn't sure what to say. She had pulled out her phone and texted Lizzie to let her know he was coming to the movie night, and also to ask her to hide the sketch she had made of him.

_Really don't want him to see that I've been sketching him. Not yet._

Lizzie replied with a thumbs up and Hope sighed a breath of relief. 

Landon glanced at her quizzically. "Everything ok?" he asked in concern.

Hope nodded. 

"Um, it's just up here on the left. You can park in my stall." Hope guided Landon to the parking garage and pointed out where to park.

Landon turned the car off and went around to Hope's door and opened it for her.

"You don't have to do that Landon" Hope said embarrassed.

Landon smiled. "I know, but I want to. And you deserve to be treated like a princess" 

Hope couldn't help but blush. She turned away from Landon so he couldn't see the rosiness of her cheeks.

_Ok there must be something wrong with this guy. He can not be this perfect._

Hope guided Landon to her apartment door and before opening it, turned to look at him. 

"Before we go in, I just want to warn you that you will probably be given the third degree by the twins. Especially Lizzie. They're kind of protective."

Landon laughed and ran his hand through his hair. "I think I can handle it" His eyes lit up and Hope couldn't help but smile at him. 

She shook her head and laughed. "Ok" 

Hope walked in first and saw that MG and Penelope had already arrived. 

Josie was sitting in Penelope's lap, twirling her hand in her girlfriend's hair. Lizzie was snuggled up against MG and they all were laughing about something.

When Hope and Landon walked in, everyone turned to look at them. Lizzie broke out into a huge smile. "Welcome Landon!" she said, getting up to greet him. 

Hope gave her a sharp look, hoping she would behave herself. Lizzie winked at her and embraced Landon. 

Hope sighed. "Um, I'm going to shower and change" Hope looked at Landon, "You going to be ok?"

"Oh go Hope!" Lizzie answered for him "He'll be fine. I promise we will take care of him"

"That's what I'm afraid of" Hope said laughing. Landon smiled at her, and chuckled. "I'm good Hope. Do what you need to do"

Hope ran into her room and shut the door. She quickly undressed and hopped into the shower. She scrubbed all the sweat from the workout away and washed her hair. 

Afterwards, even though she preferred dressing in her sweats after a shower, she opted to put on her jeans and a shirt that showed off her curves. She pulled her hair back and touched up her face with a bit of makeup.

_That will do, I guess_ she thought to herself as she looked in the mirror. 

When Hope came out of her room she could hear Landon laughing. 

_He has a great laugh_

He was sitting next to MG and Lizzie on the couch. Hope smiled. 

Landon saw her first and a huge smile broke out onto his face. "Hey!' he said. "I saved you a spot" patting the couch with his hand. 

Lizzie and Josie both looked extra pleased with themselves. 

Hope blushed before sitting next to Landon. She curled her legs up underneath her and grabbed the blanket next to her. She threw it over her legs. 

"You cold?" Landon asked.

Hope shook her head softly. "It's more of a comfort thing" she said softly. 

Landon gave a small nod in understanding. "So, what are we watching?" he asked the twins. 

"Well," Lizzie replied "Josie and Penelope will be too busy sucking face, but the rest of us will be watching Nightmare on Elm Street" Josie gave her sister a look of disdain and threw a pillow at her. 

"I'm a huge fan" MG piped up, with a goofy smile on his face.

Hope groaned. "Another scary movie, really?" 

"You don't like them?" Landon asked her. 

"It's not that" Hope said "We just always watch scary movies. They are so predictable" 

Landon laughed. "Ah, yeah I'd have to agree."

"Scary movies are perfect for cuddling" Lizzie said, winking at Hope. 

Hope rolled her eyes. _Of course._

Landon leaned into her "I meant what I said" he whispered. "I'm in no rush"

Hope breathed a sigh of relief. "Ok" she relented. Lizzie smiled and told MG to start the movie. He got up and turned off the lights before pressing play.

Hope leaned back against the couch and Landon copied her. He was a perfect gentlemen like he said he would be, and Hope soon started to feel less anxious about the whole situation.

Half way through the movie, she leaned her head against Landon's shoulder and felt herself relax against his body. Without looking at him, she could feel the smile spread across his face.

Lizzie glanced quickly at them and looked happy and relieved before turning back to the movie.

Hope ignored them and tried to focus on how warm Landon was and how good he felt. 

_God he smells amazing_

Hope had a hard time concentrating on the movie. She kept glancing down at his hands, folded perfectly on his lap. She wished he would take her hand, but remembered that he had told her he would respect her boundaries.

Taking a deep breath, she shifted her body slightly so that she was leaning on him a little more, her chest pressed up against his arm. She took her hand and placed it gently on his knee.

He turned to look at her briefly, their eyes seeking each other in the dark with nothing but the glow of the movie in the background. Hope didn't even care that anyone else was there at that point. 

_I want him to kiss me_

He smiled softly before turning back to the movie, but took his hand and slid it over hers. She laced her fingers through his and laid her head back on his shoulder. 

At that moment, she was more content than she had ever been and she didn't want the moment to be over. 

Hope must have dozed off because the next thing she knew, Lizzie was shaking her awake.

"Hope?" she could hear Lizzie say loudly. Hope opened her eyes and saw all the lights were on. She was still snuggled against Landon, her hand in his. She moved back, and looked at him. 

"That must have been uncomfortable for you" she apologized.

"Not one bit" he said with a smile. "In fact, I have never been more comfortable in my whole life"

Hope couldn't help but blush. 

"That's our cue Jojo" Penelope said cutting through the silence. Josie smiled and motioned with her head to Lizzie. "Let's go"

Lizzie let out a small laugh. "Yup" she said, grabbing MG's hand.

Hope sat shell shocked on the couch. Everything was happening so fast, and she was still groggy that she didn't have time to process what was going on.

"Bye Hope, Bye Landon" the twins said in unison before shutting the door behind them. 

Hope turned to look at Landon. She let go of his hand and moved herself away from him. She thought she saw something flash across his face, but it was too quick to really gauge what he was really feeling. 

"I, uh," Hope said, breaking eye contact "I should probably get to sleep"

She heard Landon sigh softly. "Yeah, me too" he said quickly. 

She stood up at the same time as him and walked him to the door. They stared at each other, not knowing what to say.

"I had a really great time Hope" Landon said breaking the silence. 

Hope nodded at him "Me too, even though I slept through most of it" she laughed nervously.

Landon chuckled. "You had a long day kicking my ass in boxing" 

Hope smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure that won't be the only time" She blurted out. _Oh wow, I did not mean to say that_

Landon caught on. "Does that mean you are willing to do that again?" he said winking. 

Hope nodded, too tongue tied to actually respond. _Yes, god please yes!_

He smiled. "I should go" he said softly. 

"Ok" Hope opened the door for him. She wanted to kiss him, she really did, but she was nervous and scared what it would mean if she did. 

Landon paused for a moment, hesitating. He looked like he wanted to kiss her too, but wasn't sure if he should.

"Bye Landon" she said, taking a deep breath.

He sighed and nodded slightly. "Bye Hope" he said in disappointment before walking out the door.

She lowered her eyes and mentally kicked herself for being such a chicken. She shut the door and crumbled against it, taking deep breaths. She fought back the urge to cry.

As she sat there, head in her hands, she heard a knock on the door. 

She stood up stunned. When she opened the door, Landon was standing there. 

"I forgot my jacket" he said casually. 

She wiped the tears from her face and nodded, letting him in. He walked over to the couch to grab his jacket, and slung it over his arm. 

He turned to look at her, she was still standing by the door. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

_Just do it. Be brave._

He walked towards her slowly, a look of concern on his face. Before he could say anything, she found herself leaning into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and finding his lips with her own. 

He stumbled back in surprise but quickly caught himself. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back. 

Hope could feel her knees go weak and if Landon's arms weren't around her, she swore she would have fainted. 

The kiss was passionate and heavy, as if both of them had been waiting their whole lives for each other. 

Hope finally pulled away first, her breathing heavy and her lips bruised and red. He touched her cheek, his thumb slowly tracing her bottom lip. 

"That was worth forgetting my coat for" he teased.

She laughed, her heart still pounding. 

"Can I see you tomorrow?" he asked. 

Hope nodded. He leaned in and kissed her again, softly this time.

"Until tomorrow" he said before leaving. Hope shut the door behind him. 

She touched her lips and closed her eyes. 

_Tomorrow_ she thought to herself and smiled. 


	8. Chapter 8

After Landon left and Hope was able to gain her composure, she tidied up the apartment. The twins weren't exactly the neatest guests, but Hope was thankful for the distraction. When her phone beeped, she found herself hoping that it was Landon. But when she saw it was from Lizzie, her heart sank.

"There better have been a goodnight kiss!" Hope rolled her eyes and put the phone down without replying. She loved Lizzie but the girl could be too nosy sometimes. 

_Can you blame her?_ Hope argued with herself. Landon was the first guy she had ever let herself get close to, the only one who was able to break down the walls she had carefully put up after her parents died.

Hope wanted to be happy, to be optimistic, but the anxiety she was feeling was overwhelming. 

_What if he leaves? What if he decides she isn't worth it?_

Hope squeezed her eyes shut and focused on her breathing. _Stop it_

Her hands were trembling so much that she dropped the cup she was carrying to the sink. It shattered all over the floor and Hope choked back a sob.

Maybe she should text Lizzie back. Lizzie had always been able to help calm her down, especially since she could relate. 

Hope left the shattered cup and instead grabbed her phone. She pressed the video chat, and held her breath while it rang. 

When Lizzie answered, Hope relaxed. "Hey" she said in a quiet voice. 

"Oh honey, the demons are rearing their ugly heads again huh?" 

Hope nodded. Lizzie gave her a reassuring smile. 

"Remember Hope, one step at a time." Hope nodded again. "One step at a time" she repeated.

"If it means anything Hope, I like him, and I don't think he's going anywhere" Hope could feel her heart rate slow down and she felt a little calmer than she had a few minutes ago. 

"So, did he kiss you?" 

Hope laughed. It always amazed her how fast Lizzie could flip the switch on her emotions.

"Actually" Hope started, "I kissed him." Hope blushed at the memory.

"I don't know what it is about him Liz. He makes every inch of my body vibrate. His voice, his touch, his eyes. Oh god his eyes" Hope swooned. 

Lizzie laughed. "I have never heard you ever describe anyone like this Hope" Hope froze. _Shit, she's right_

"It's good. Trust me" Lizzie reassured her. Hope nodded and followed it with a yawn. 

"Go to sleep Hope. I'll talk to you tomorrow" Hope said goodbye and hung up. 

She cleaned up the cup and then turned all the lights off before heading into her room. 

As she got ready for bed, she heard her phone go off again. 

She fully expected it to be Lizzie but was surprised when she saw it was from Landon. 

"Just wanted to say goodnight" 

Hope couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. She pulled the covers over her head and for the first time in a long while, she slept soundly.

Hope woke up to another text from Landon. 

"Good morning Beautiful" 

Hope hopped in the shower and got ready for the morning. She really needed coffee but remembered that she had put off getting groceries again. 

She quickly pulled up the app on her phone and pulled up her usual order. She sent it through, paid and made a note of the delivery time. The less people she interacted with, the better for her. 

She sent a quick message to the twins, asking them if they wanted to grab coffee with her. As much as she enjoyed being alone, right now she needed the distraction. 

She worried that any time alone would mean time spent on thinking about Landon, and the more she thought about Landon, the more her anxiety bubbled over. 

She wanted so much to be happy, but there was always that voice inside her waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Josie was the first to reply. "Already on the way. Noticed your lack of food in the house yesterday"

Hope went over and unlocked the door for Josie and then went into her studio to tidy up. 

Hope heard the door open and Josie call out for her. 

"In here" she called back. Josie appeared at the door with her coffee in hand. 

"You are a life saver" Hope said and smiled. 

Josie took a look at the paintings Hope was working on. Normally Hope didn't let anyone in here, so anytime the twins got the chance to snoop, they did.

"These are beautiful Hope" Josie said in awe.

Hope blushed. No matter how many times anyone complimented her, she couldn't help the reaction. This was usually why she never let anyone in here very often.

"Thanks" she said. She took her coffee and walked into the living room, with Josie following behind her.

They sat on the couch and drank their coffees in silence. Hope was glad for the company, and glad that Josie didn't push her to talk.

"What are you and Penelope up to today Jo?" Hope asked, breaking the quiet.

"Pen's visiting her family today so I'm flying solo" Josie said, stretching her legs out trying to get more comfortable. 

"You?" 

"I'm waiting on my groceries to be delivered, but other than that, not really sure." Hope replied. 

"You aren't going to see Landon today?" Josie asked, her eyebrows raising up quizzically. 

"I don't know" Hope said shrugging. "He said something about it last night, but I didn't want to assume anything. People get busy" Hope's voice trailed off. 

Josie shook her head. "Have you heard from him?"

Hope nodded. "He said good morning" 

"Did you reply?" 

Hope shook her head no. "I don't know what to say Jo. I'm not good at stuff like this"

Hope looked away knowing that Josie was probably looking at her with pity.

"Hey, its ok Hope" Josie reassured her. "I honestly don't think it matters what you say to him. He will probably just be happy to hear from you."

Hope thought about that for a second. _She's probably right_

"Yeah maybe" she said quietly. 

Josie knew better than to push it, so she dropped the subject.

Josie and Hopewere chatting while finishing their coffees, when the buzzer to her apartment went off. Hope got up to answer it. 

Josie looked at her in confusion. "Expecting anyone today?" 

"Groceries" Hope answered. 

Josie nodded and got up to help Hope. The delivery guy dropped all the bags off at the door and Hope tipped him.

Her and Josie got to work putting everything away when the door buzzed again. This time Hope was confused.

"He must have forgotten something?" she said quizzically.

Hope went to the door while Josie continued to put things away.

Hope let them in without checking who it was, sure that it was the delivery guy again. 

When someone knocked, she opened up and was shocked to find Landon standing there instead.

"Landon?" she said in shock. 

"Hey Hope" he said sheepishly "Surprise?" 

Josie came to the door and saved Hope from having to come up with something to say.

_How does he make me so tongue tied?_

"Hope, are you going to let him in?" Josie asked. Hope didn't realize she was blocking the door.

"Uh yeah, come in Landon" she said stepping to the side. 

"Hey Josie" he said.

"Hey Landon, I was just leaving" Josie winked at Hope. Hope looked at her with wide eyes, begging her not to leave. 

You'll be ok, Josie mouthed to her before walking out. 

Hope swallowed and turned back to Landon. "Hey" she said blushing. 

She couldn't stop thinking about last night, when she practically threw herself in his arms.

Landon smiled at her and took a step towards her. She froze. 

Landon noticed her hesitation and stopped. "I'm sorry, was this a mistake?" he asked. 

"I should have called" he added. 

Hope's brain kept trying to form a sentence but she was having a hard time breathing properly. 

All she could do was shake her head, and look up at him with wide eyes. 

"Do you want me to go?" he asked. 

Hope shook her head again. His body relaxed just bit but he didn't try to move towards her again.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked her again.

She nodded. 

_Why am I like this? What is wrong with me?_

Hope closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm glad you're here Landon" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry Hope. I should have called, I just thought after last night that you.. " and he trailed off. 

She sighed. She was a mess. She was so used to pushing people away that she wasn't sure how to interact with anyone but the twins. 

"No Landon, I'm sorry. I just, I'm not good... at this.. you know.. people..." she stammered. 

He smiled at her, relieved. He was normally so confident, but he really liked Hope and didn't want to scare her away. 

"I thought maybe we could get to know each other a little bit today" Landon said hopefully. 

"I promise I'll behave" he added, hoping to make her feel more comfortable. 

"Ok" she agreed. She went over to the couch and sat in the corner, mindlessly pulling the blanket over her lap.

He noticed and chuckled. "Do you always do that?" he asked. 

"Do what?"

"Pull the blanket over your lap. The way you did it almost looks like you were putting on battle armor"

Hope didn't even realized she had done that. "Oh, I, uh, I don't know. It's habit I guess?" 

Landon smiled at her. "Note to self, always have a blanket on the couch whenever you are around"

Hope blushed in embarrassment. 

"Now I know one thing about you, is there anything you want to know about me?" Landon asked her.

Hope thought for a moment, chewing the corner of her lip. 

"You said you grew up in foster care? But you have a brother?" Hope asked him. 

Landon's eyes flashed with sadness for a moment. He nodded. 

"I met Raf when I was 16. He was in the same foster home with me. We hit it off really quickly and have been brothers ever since. He's my best friend" Landon said, looking away.

Hope softened. She had the urge to hug him but she fought it back. "And your parents?" 

"Don't know" he replied. "Mom has a name, found it on the back of a picture. Nothing about my father though." Landon's voice trembled. 

He cleared his throat. "You? Where is your family?" 

Hope looked down. "Both my parents died when I was 15. I lived at a boarding school. That's where I met the twins." She felt a tear roll down her cheek.

_Guess we are both broken_

Landon moved towards her and put his hand on her knee. "I'm sorry Hope"

She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry too" she whispered, before looking up at him with a pained expression. 

She stared into his eyes and felt him squeeze her knee in comfort. 

"Guess we both come with baggage" he joked.

Hope stifled a laugh, and nodded. 

He pulled his hand away, and Hope couldn't help but feel like a piece of her had been taken away. 

_It's been like 2 days! How is this happening?_

Hope was so confused. She couldn't understand how Landon had broken through her barriers so quickly. 

"You know Hope" Landon started to say, looking at her. 

"Growing up in foster care, you learn very quickly that you have no one but yourself to look out for you. Especially when you grow up in the type of homes that I did. I spent most of my life afraid and unsure. But you learn quickly how lonely that life is"

He licked his lips, thinking a moment before continuing. 

"Eventually, you have to let someone in. You have to swallow that fear and allow yourself to feel something. Raf was the first person I let in. And I think the twins are the first ones you let in, am I right?"

Hope nodded. 

"I want to let you in Hope. The moment I saw you walk into that club. I saw the sadness all around you and it reminded me of myself. But when you turned to look at me for the first time, there was a fire in your eyes and I knew I needed to get to know you"

Hope didn't dare move, her eyes wide. 

"I don't open myself up to many people Hope" he whispered before looking away.

_I want to let you in too Landon_

But Hope couldn't say it out loud. She sat there silent, not sure what to say.

"I should go" he said suddenly, squeezing his eyes shut. 

He stood up and looked at her briefly. Hope could see the sadness in his eyes and wanted to go to him. She wanted to reach out to him, to hold him, to kiss him, but she couldn't get herself to move.

"I'm not running away Hope" he said without turning around to look at her. "I am going to fight for you" 

"I just hope you fight for me too" he said softly, and then he walked out, shutting the door behind him. 


	9. Chapter 9

After Landon left, Hope broke down.

_Why didn't you stop him?_

Hope felt her heart break. _He's gone_

Her brain couldn't comprehend the words he had whispered as he walked out. 

All her heart focused on was that he left.

_You're a fool. What's wrong with you?_

Hope turned her phone off and crumbled into a ball on the couch and cried, soaking the blanket she had pulled over her head. 

_How could he want me? I'm no one_

After what was probably a few hours, Hope heard the door to her apartment open in a panic.

"Hope?" Lizzie called out frantically.

"Hope" she called again, raising her voice when Hope didn't answer.

Lizzie found Hope curled into a ball on the couch. She pulled the blanket off her face and softened when she saw Hope's face.

"What happened?" Lizzie asked, concern evident on her face.

Hope didn't respond. She just closed her eyes and wished Lizzie would leave her alone.

She tried to pull the blanket back up over her face, but Lizzie wouldn't allow her to. 

"Leave me alone" Hope said weakly. 

"That's the last thing I'm going to do Hope" Lizzie said sternly. 

She walked into the kitchen and grabbed Hope a glass of water. She came back and sat down and pulled Hope into a sitting position.

She forced the glass in her hands, "Drink" Lizzie ordered.

Hope had no fight in her, and just wanted to crawl into her bed and shut out the world. 

Lizzie sighed. "Landon texted MG" she said in a low voice.

"He told us what happened." 

Hope looked up at Lizzie at the mention of Landon's name.

"He thought you would need a friend" Lizzie continued. "When you didn't answer your phone, for HOURS, I might add, it worried me."

Hope stared at her friend, still not wanting to speak to her.

"You can't shut down like this Hope. Not again" she whispered in pain.

Lizzie looked away and brought her hand up to her face to wipe away a solitary tear that had escaped.

The memory of Hope after her parents died was a touchy one, and Lizzie tried not to think of that time in Hope's life.

Hope didn't have much of a memory of the time that passed after her parents' deaths. She blacked that part of her life out, because the pain of it was too much to bear. 

"For fuck's sake Hope" Lizzie screamed, shaking her. "Fucking talk to me!" Lizzie's face was red and blotchy. 

_Just leave me alone!_

Lizzie got up and paced the room. "I'm getting Josie here. You need to snap out of it and I don't know what else to do"

For some reason that enraged Hope. 

"WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO LIZZIE?!" Hope screamed at her. 

"I want you to be happy Hope! I want you to see what everyone else sees. What Landon sees!" 

"I'M BROKEN LIZZIE! I'M ALWAYS GOING TO BE BROKEN. NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE THAT!" 

Hope threw her head into her hands and screamed. She felt Lizzie sit beside her and put her arms around her shoulders.

"You aren't broken." Lizzie whispered. "You're afraid" Hope stopped and looked up at her friend.

"But you can change that" she added.

Hope swallowed back a sob. 

"All you need to do is let others in, like you let Josie and me in." 

Hope remembered back to when she wasn't friends with the twins. She didn't have anybody, and then her parents died. Lizzie and Josie were the only ones who stayed by her side, the only ones who were able to break through the walls she put up. Lizzie especially. She refused to leave Hope's side for months. Hope came to depend on their friendship and over time they became her sisters.

"I told Landon to give you some space." Lizzie said once she felt Hope had calmed down a bit. 

"He really cares for you, you know."

"Why?" Hope muttered. "He barely knows me"

Lizzie let out small laugh. "Time doesn't mean anything Hope. You know when you know"

Hope thought back to that first moment she heard Landon say hi to her. _He knew_

Lizzie handed Hope her phone. "Just think about it ok? I have to go to work, but I'll be back later if you need me"

Hope nodded and hugged her friend. 

After Lizzie left, Hope turned her phone back on. There were numerous messages from Lizzie and some from Josie. Hope deleted all of them. She didn't need to read the panic in her friends' texts.

There was also a text from Landon. "I'm sorry" was all it read. Hope felt a pain in her heart. 

_I hurt him_

She opened the message and tried to write back to him, but everything she wrote didn't seem like it was enough. She tried many times and kept deleting the messages. 

She sighed in frustration and threw her phone to the side. 

_I don't know how to do this!_

Hope screamed into a pillow.

Once she let it all out, she shook her head and grabbed her phone again.

_One step at a time right?_

Hope pressed Landon's name to call him. She took a deep breath, waiting for him to pick up.

_He c_ _ould be working_

_What if he doesn't want to talk to you?_

_Hang_ _up now_

Hope's mind was racing and her heart was pounding. She clutched her phone so hard that her hand was starting to hurt.

When his machine picked up, she hesitated. _What do I say?_

"Hey Landon, this is, uh, this is Hope" 

She hung up. _What was that?!_

_He's going to hear that and think you are insane!_

Hope couldn't sit around waiting for him to call back. She was restless and probably looked like a mess. 

She splashed some cold water on her face and examined it in the mirror. 

Her eyes were red and puffy and her cheeks were swollen. Hope sighed. 

She stared at herself in the mirror and tried to figure out what Landon saw in her.

She looked into her eyes to try to see the fire that Landon was talking about, but all she was the same sad, tired face that she always saw.

_What's the point?_

She turned away, unable to look at herself anymore. 

Hope decided to try to paint, but this time she brought her phone in with her. She didn't want to miss a call from Landon. 

_IF he calls_ but she shook that thought off quickly.

She messaged Lizzie and thanked her for coming over. She felt guilty for worrying her friends, but was thankful that they understood.

"Anytime" Lizzie replied. 

After a couple hours of painting, Landon still hadn't called and Hope could feel her anxiety take hold again. She couldn't sit still, and her mind kept wandering. 

She tore apart every conversation with him in her head, going over every little detail but all it was doing was making her more anxious.

_I need to run_

Hope changed into her running gear and popped her earphones in. She turned the music up as loud as she could to try to drown out her inner voice.

She took the stairs down to the front lobby and fiddled with her phone. She was trying to find another playlist because the one she had one just wasn't doing it for her.

She walked out the front, still fumbling with Spotify when she ran right into someone standing outside.

She mumbled an apology without looking up, but felt a hand lightly touch her elbow. She looked up and realized it was Landon. 

She pulled the headphones out, her mouth open in shock. "Landon?" 

With his hand still on her arm, she felt the restlessness she had been fighting off, settle. All she focused on now was his hand touching her.

Every inch of her body was aware and tingling. "You know, we really need to stop running into each other like this" he said, a smile lighting up his face.

Hope blushed. "What are you doing here?" she squeaked out and then cleared her throat. He licked his lips and stared at her. He brought his hand to her face and lightly trailed a finger over her cheek.

"I got your message" he said softly. 

"You could have called back" Hope said back, her voice heavy.

"I know." he said "But I wanted to see you. I needed to see you" 

"I thought Lizzie told you to give me space?" Hope asked, but was secretly glad that he didn't listen to her.

"She did. And I had every intention of doing so. But when you called..." he looked away for a moment. 

"You sounded so..." and pain flashed through his eyes.

Hope took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Landon." 

"It's ok" he started to say but Hope brought her finger up to his mouth to silence him. "Let me finish" she whispered, her finger lingering on his mouth a little longer than she intended.

She looked down, trying to gain the courage to say what she needed to say.

"I should have stopped you from leaving Landon. I wanted to. I just didn't know how." She looked back up into his eyes and saw a smile slowly make its way across his face.

"I want you Landon" she said, her voice hushed. 

"You do?" he asked, his voice laced with glee. She nodded.

"But I need to take it one step at a time" she added quickly. 

"Do you think you can do that with me?" She looked up at him hesitantly. 

Landon took Hope in his arms and pulled her close. He looked down at her beautiful face and trailed kisses from her forehead down to her nose and then finally to her lips. 

"Anything for you Hope" he said smiling. 


	10. Chapter 10

Hope figured that setting ground rules was probably the best thing for her.

This was a whole new experience for Hope, and if she was going to take it one step at a time, she had to feel like she had some control over the situation.

The unknown terrified her, and just the thought of the future sent her into a mild panic attack. 

The what ifs were always the scariest to think about and Hope didn't want to poison her relationship with Landon with what ifs.

"Why does this feel more like a job interview than anything else?" he teased when she brought up the idea.

"Landon" Hope replied, sighing. "You agreed to take it one step at a time." 

Landon grabbed Hope's hands and squeezed them tight. "I'm just kidding Hope. Bring it on" 

Hope couldn't help but laugh. _He's so easy going_

Landon really wanted to get to know Hope better so he suggested a game they could play.

Each had to come up with 4 truths and 1 lie about themselves. The other had to guess which one was the lie. Turning it into a game felt like less pressure and it put Hope's mind at ease. 

"You go first" he said to Hope. 

"Um, ok" she said thinking. 

"I have an unlimited bank account. I hate sci fi. I love spiders. I have been dealing with anxiety for many years and um, I'm a virgin" she said blushing.

"Ok" Landon said, rolling his eyes up in thought. 

"#4 is obvious especially since you usually look like a deer caught in headlights whenever I make a sudden move towards you" he said laughing.

She looked away. "I'm sorry" she said softly. 

"Hey hey, no. I'm teasing you Hope. I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be insensitive. I swear. I wouldn't change anything about you, anxiety and all." He took his hand and make a cross over his heart as he said that. 

Hope looked at him and nodded softly. She chewed on her lip, watching him. 

"#5 is true?" Hope nodded, blushing again. She didn't know why she felt it was important to tell him that, but she needed him to know.

"#1 is false?" Hope shook her head. Landon gasped. "Really?" 

"My family was well off" she answered. "And I make really good money with my paintings"

Landon looked impressed. "Can I see your paintings?" he asked.

"I don't really share them until they are ready" she said. "But there are a few hanging up in galleries all over town"

"That's super sexy" he said, winking at her. "She can kick my ass and she's loaded. I hit the jackpot" and he winked at her again.

Hope burst into laughter. "Seriously Landon?" He shrugged his shoulders and gave her a goofy smile. 

"What can I say? You're the whole package" he laced his fingers with hers and brought her hand up to his mouth for a kiss. 

"Ok," he said, getting serious again. "So either you really hate sci fi, or you really love spiders" 

"Honestly, I hope sci fi is not the honest answer though, because I happen to love sci fi" He said laughing.

Hope shrugged her shoulders. "Which one is the truth?" 

Landon thought about it for a minute before pointing at Hope. "If I get it right, do I get a prize?"

Hope laughed. "Depends. What do you want?" Hope's heart raced as he thought about his options. 

"Dinner, tonight, with me." Hope thought about it, mild panic rising up in her chest.

"Like, out, in public?" Hope asked, gulping. Landon shook his head. _Oh thank God_

"No, I know you aren't a people person. I was thinking I could make you dinner." he said hopefully. 

"At my place" he added in quickly. 

Hope's heart raced. "Just dinner?" she asked with a bit of panic in her voice.

"Cross my heart" he said. "I will be the perfect gentlemen"

Hope nodded. "Ok" she said softly. Landon pretended to cheer which only made Hope laugh some more.

"You really do hate sci fi don't you?" 

Hope nodded again and Landon pouted. "Damn" 

"Oh well" he said bouncing back quickly. "I win!" he said, winking at her.

"Your turn" she said to him. 

"Ok, let's see" he said tapping his finger on his chin.

"I'm terrified of small spaces, I write my own songs, I have extreme stage fright, rabbit is my favorite food and um, I'm also a virgin" Landon's cheeks flashed red quickly as he said the last part and Hope knew right away that he was telling the truth about it.

_How does he always manage to take my breath away?_

Hope thought about each one and was sure she knew which was the lie right away. "The stage fright is a lie" she said confidently.

Landon shook his head. "Nope, that's a truth" 

Hope was shocked. "But, you sang to me... that first night.. you were up on stage" Hope struggled to make sense of it.

"I know" Landon said, " but I needed you to notice me. And I know you're friends are regulars there so I thought, maybe..." Landon trailed off.

"You did that for me?" Hope gasped. 

Landon nodded, his cheeks flushed. Hope couldn't help herself. She pulled Landon towards her and kissed him. She didn't care about anything else at that point other than feeling his body against her own.

When Hope pulled away, they were both breathing heavily. 

"Wow" he gasped. 

Hope laughed. "I think this is the first time I've heard you speechless!" 

Landon chuckled. "I need to catch my breath is all" but the smile on his face was clear that Hope had the same affect on him that he did for her.

He cleared his throat and sat back. "You still need to guess the lie"

Hope rolled her eyes at him. "Fine" she said, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"You actually hate rabbit" she guessed and when he nodded she pumped her fist in the air, mimicking Landon earlier.

"At least I know you won't be making that for dinner" she teased. 

Landon laughed loudly and pulled her in closer to him. She felt more at ease now that she knew he wasn't expecting anything from her. 

It felt nice to be in his arms and she mentally kicked herself for not realizing it sooner.

Hope's phone started to ring, and she got up quickly to see who it was. 

"It's Lizzie" she told Landon. "And if I don't answer it, with all things considered, she will come over" 

"It's ok Hope" Landon said. "You don't need to explain anything to me"

"Hey Liz" Hope said, smiling at the camera. 

"Wow, you look like you're feeling better" Lizzie said surprised. "Does it have anything to do with a certain someone?" 

Hope tried to shush Lizzie as she asked the question before Landon heard but she wasn't successful.

"What certain someone?" he pipes up, causing Lizzie to look at Hope with complete shock.

Hope sighed and turned the camera to Landon. "Hey Lizzie" he said casually. 

"Hope Andrea Mikaelson!" Lizzie scolded. "Give a girl some warning next time!" 

Hope shrugged her shoulders "I tried!" 

Landon shook his head at her and chuckled. "Adorable" he said winking. 

Hope turned and punched him in the arm again which made him laugh even harder. 

"I guess you're busy then Hope" Lizzie said. "Never mind" 

"Have fun!" Lizzie said in a singsong voice before hanging up. 

Hope turned to Landon and blushed again. "That was embarrassing" she said, biting her lip.

Landon laughed. "Totally" 

Landon turned his attention away for a second "What's that?" he asked, pointing to something sticking out from behind the couch cushion.

Hope looked and saw the corner of her sketchbook. Lizzie must have shoved it behind the cushion during the movie night. 

Hope tried to grab the book before Landon saw but he was faster than she was. 

His eyes widened in awe. "You drew me?" 

"This is incredible Hope!" he said, turning to her. He held the sketch up to his face. "It looks exactly like me!"

Hope softened. He was genuinely excited and couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

"Can I keep this?" he asked. Hope nodded. "I guess" she said. 

Landon carefully ripped the sketch out of the book and placed it gently in his coat hanging up by the door.

"You are amazing Hope Mikaelson" he said with a grin on his face. She blushed, still not used to compliments. 

"I have one question though" 

Hope looked at him confused. "What's that?"

"Do you ever paint anyone in the nude?" He couldn't keep a straight face and burst out into laughter.

Hope looked at him, shocked. She shook her head, unsure on whether to laugh or throw something at him. 

She opted for the latter and threw the sketchpad at him softly. 

He wasn't expecting that reaction and didn't duck in time. The pad caught him in the corner of the lip by surprise.

"Ow!" he yelled, still laughing. "Oh my god! Landon! I'm so sorry" Hope apologized, running up to him.

She placed her hands on his cheeks, and was mortified because she could see a tiny trickle of blood in the corner of his mouth.

Landon couldn't stop laughing and Hope kept apologizing. 

"Totally worth it" he said, wrapping his arms around her.

She looked at him in shock before bursting out into laughter herself. 

She softly kissed him on the mouth and then laid her head on his shoulder.

"I really am sorry" she said squeezing him. 

Landon chuckled. "Ah, I'm pretty sure I deserved it" 


	11. Chapter 11

Landon asked Hope for some time to get things ready for dinner. He didn't want to leave her, but he wanted to make it a surprise and it couldn't be if she came to the store with him. 

Plus Hope assumed he probably wanted to make sure his place was decent. He shared a place with his brother and wasn't sure if he would be home tonight or not. 

Hope overheard Landon's phone call to Raf, right before he left. 

"Dude, I need you gone for the night." Landon had quietly said into his phone, standing in Hope's kitchen.

"Yeah, I'm gonna cook. Oh shut it! I won't poison her. *pause* Stop Raf.*pause* This isn't a big deal.*pause* She is special, man. *pause*" 

Hope giggled softly to herself. She watched Landon out of the corner of her eye. She was trying to give him privacy but couldn't help but snoop. 

_God he's adorable_

"Thanks man" Landon said before hanging up and walking out of the kitchen with a huge smile on his face. 

"Coast is clear" he announced, sitting down next to Hope and wrapping an arm her. Hope thought back to a few days ago before she knew Landon and couldn't get over the fact that she hadn't always known him.

_It's so easy to be with him_

Hope stared at him while he was chatting about what he needed to do and missed him asking her if it was ok if he came back to get her later.

Landon waved his hand in front of Hope's face "Earth to Hope" he chuckled. 

She shook her head, breaking her thoughts and laughed at his expression. "Do I have something on my face?" he asked her. 

Hope shook her head "No, of course not" 

"Oh good" he teased "Just checking. I mean, I am a huge fan of you gawking at me" He winked, causing her to blush and look away. 

"I didn't say stop!" he objected wrapping his other arm around her and guiding her around to face him. The smile on his face melted her in his arms and she leaned in to kiss him gently.

"If I don't go now, I'm never going to leave" he teased, leaning in to kiss her again. She giggled and pushed him away.

"Then go" she said. "I mean it!" Landon pulled her up from the couch and brought her hands up to his mouth before kissing them.

"I'll be back m'lady" he said bowing before her. Hope laughed at him and shook her head in embarrassment. 

"You are definitely one of a kind, Landon Kirby" Hope walked him to the door and kissed him one more time before he left. 

"Be back in a couple hours" he called out as he walked towards the elevator. 

Hope shut the door behind her and leaned against it swooning. Her heart was pounding fast and she hadn't realized that her hands were shaking until she brought them up to her face to brush her hair back behind her ears. 

_I should shower before getting ready_

Hope hopped into the shower and scrubbed. She used the flowery smelling body wash that Lizzie had given her for her birthday last year. This was the first time she had used it and Hope wondered if she was overthinking it too much. She felt nervous. This would be the first time she had ever been over to a man's house, especially someone she was dating 

_Oh shit_ ! Hope dropped the body wash as the realization that they were dating finally hit her. She felt her anxiety bubble up within her again and she started to panic. 

_No no it's ok. He promised to go slow. He agreed to one step at a time_

Hope tried to regain control of herself but she was having a hard time. _Just finish the shower_

Hope nodded, agreeing with herself. She picked up the bottle at her feet and put it back on the shower rack. She washed her hair quickly and turned off the water.

Hope wrapped the towel around herself and crawled into her bed. She pulled the blanket up over her head and curled her body into a ball. _Just breath_

Hope closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. Once she felt calmer, she pulled the blanket off and sat up. She counted the steps in her head and made a metal note about what she needed to do next. She finished drying herself off before rummaging through her closet for something to wear. 

She didn't really have anything fancy for dinner, but she assumed Landon probably wasn't expecting fancy so she settled on the shirt she wore the first time they met, and a pair of blank pants. 

Hope quickly dried her hair and brushed it back. Landon was always twirling his fingers in her hair when they were sitting together and Hope loved the way it felt so having it fall down over her shoulders was a must. She put on a bit of makeup and looked at herself in the mirror, gauging how she looked. Her eyes stood out the most and they were probably her favorite feature. She never really cared about her looks before, but she wanted to make sure she looked good tonight. 

"Good enough" she said before sighing and shrugging her shoulders at her reflection. 

Hope decided to bring her sketchbook and some pencils with her, just in case she needed something to distract her while Landon was busy cooking. She grabbed a small backpack and tossed them in. 

Hope got a text from Landon telling her he was on his way and she decided it would be best if she waited downstairs for him. She grabbed her bag, put on her boots and locked up.

He was just coming to the door to buzz her down when she saw him.

"I was hoping you'd walk into me again" he teased, throwing a pretend pout her way. He opened his arms to her as she made her way to him and when she was close enough he hugged her tight.

"Ready?" he asked, eyeing the bag on her shoulder. He gave her a quizzical look. "My sketchbook" He nods in understanding and takes the bag from her.

She laughs "It's not that heavy, I can take it really" 

"Nonsense!" he chimes in, smirking at her. 

"You know I could totally kick your butt right?" He pretended to be offended.

"Oh I know you can. You already have" he joked. "But I'm still going to carry your bag. Want to fight me over it?" His eyes sparkled with mischief.

Hope sighed and shook her head. Landon laughed before throwing his arm over her shoulder. "Let's go"

Landon didn't actually live that far from Hope's apartment and she was surprised he hadn't said anything about it before. She saw that the coffee shop he had mentioned, the first time he called her, was just around the corner and it dawned on her why he specifically chose that shop. She actually passed by his place on more than one occasion in her everyday life and was shocked that she had never run into him before.

 _Maybe you just weren't paying attention_ she thought briefly to herself before shaking it off. 

Landon pulled into his parking spot and ran around the car to open her door again. He grabbed her bag out from the backseat and closed the door before lacing his fingers through her own and leading her inside. 

Landon's apartment was small, smaller than hers for sure, but this one had a loft over the living room. "That's Raf's room" Landon nodded towards the stairs.

He gave her a tour which ended with him showing her his bedroom. He blushed when he saw the look on her face. "Doesn't mean anything" he laughed awkwardly, running his hands through his hair. 

"I just wanted to put your bag in here, and your coat" he said quickly, before clearing his throat. 

Hope noticed his guitar in the corner and her face lit up. He followed her gaze and smirked. He walked over and grabbed the guitar and motioned for her to follow him out to the living room.

"Food is actually in the oven" he said sheepishly. "I put it in before coming to get you"

He sat on the couch and patted the seat next to him. He pulled out a blanket he had on the side of the couch and handed it to her. "You remembered" she said and smiled. Hope sat down and looked at the guitar in his lap.

"Are you going to play something?" she asked, trying to hide her excitement.

"I've been working on something, but its not ready yet" 

"That's ok Landon. I understand. I feel the same about my paintings" Hope cupped her hand against his cheek. He leaned into it and closed his eyes.

"Maybe you can sketch while I work on it a bit more?" he suggested. "Then we are both kind of vulnerable" he said softly. 

Hope agreed with him and went into his room to grab her stuff. She sat on the other side of the couch to give them both space.

Hope watched as Landon's fingers softly strummed the strings of his guitar. He was sitting cross legged with the guitar balancing an open journal and a pencil in his mouth.

He wouldn't tell her what he was working on, but she really enjoyed being there for the creative process. She started to make an outline of him in her sketchbook, beginning the process of turning it into an actual picture.

The sketch wasn't coming along as much as she would have liked, but that was mostly due to the fact that she was too distracted.

She realized quickly that she loved watching him work. She especially loved when his eyebrows would furrow together when he was trying to figure something out. He would play a note on the guitar, and then scribble something in the journal. Then he would play another string and add the notes together. When he had something, his face would light up and it would make Hope smile. 

He got up a few times to check on dinner, and would kiss her on the top of the head when he walked by before settling himself back on the couch.

Hope stretched her legs out, and he pulled her feet into his already full lap. The guitar would softly bump against her as he played around on it, and she could feel the vibrations of the different notes against her feet.

She felt relaxed and really started to get into the drawing. She bit down on her lip while she was concentrating on drawing his face and getting the exact expression that she saw not too long before. 

She felt his hand squeeze her foot and she looked up. "I got something" and he motioned to his guitar. 

She brought her feet back and curled up under the blanket. She put her sketch to the side to let him know he had her full attention.

He smiled at her. "It's not much" and he shrugged his shoulders slightly. 

Hope waited in anticipation. She watched as his fingers danced across the strings so effortlessly and created the most beautiful song that Hope had ever heard.

She couldn't help the tears that rolled down her cheeks. When he was done, he looked up at her and she could see the vulnerability in his face that he usually kept so well hidden.

Hope moved her body closer to him and slid her hands into his. "That was beautiful" she whispered to him. He flicked his eyes down quickly and sighed a breath of relief.

"Hope" he started to say but she couldn't wait any longer and silenced him with her lips. She wrapped her hands around his body and leaned into him. He gently moved the guitar down to the floor before moving his hands to her back and pulling her in as close as possible. He leaned back into the couch and pulled her into his lap. Hope pulled away suddenly, her face bright red. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean.. " but Landon stopped her. 

"Never be sorry" he said, looking deep into her eyes. He smiled at her and kissed her softly again. 

"But, like I was going to say before you interrupted me" he chuckled "is that dinner is ready" He roared with laughter when Hope sat back shocked, a sheepish smile on her face.

"You really are something Landon Kirby" 


	12. Chapter 12

Hope stretched out on Landon's couch, full from the dinner he had made her. He was cleaning up quickly and then they were planning on watching a movie.   
"You sure you don't want any help?" Hope asked. Landon shook his head "Nope, its just a couple of dishes Hope. You relax" He smiled warmly at her.

"That was really good Landon" Hope yelled out. "Where did you learn to cook like that?"

Hope saw Landon's shoulders sag slightly before he responded. "You learn a lot when you have to fend for yourself" His voice cracked. "You know, foster care" he mumbled trailing off. 

Hope could see the pain in him, even with his back to her. She fought the urge to go and console him. She didn't want to push the subject so she dropped it.

Hope had her sketchbook in her lap and was making finishing touches on the picture of Landon playing the guitar that she had been working on before dinner. She smiled as she added the tiny details to his face.   
"That's incredible Hope" Landon said, standing over her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly. She looked up at him and he was staring at her, his face in awe. 

Landon took the sketch out of her hands and placed it on the side table before bending down and kissing her.   
She moved so that he could sit with her on the couch. He smiled, settling into the corner and reached out for her. She leaned her back against his chest and he wrapped his arms tightly around her body.  
His chin rested on the top of her head, and she felt him softly kiss it before pointing the remote at the TV.  
"What do you want to watch?"   
"Honestly?" She lifted her head back to look up at him. He kissed her forehead before responding. "Of course"  
"I just want to lay here, with your arms around me and enjoy the moment" she said before a deep red shaded her face. Her heart was fluttering in her chest the moment he put his arms around her, and she wasn't sure she would be able to concentrate on a movie.

Landon chuckled. "Sounds like a perfect plan"

He pulled her in closer and she leaned her head against him. His fingers found hers and he softly played with them. 

Hope closed her eyes when Landon started to hum quietly. She felt the vibration in his chest radiate throughout her body. Hope had never felt this relaxed with anyone before and she could feel the fear creeping its way into her.

_I've never felt like this for anyone before_

"Landon?" Hope murmered.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Hope's mind was overthinking things and it was starting to make her feel restless. She didn't want to leave Landon, but she was afraid of how she could react if she stayed here any longer.

"I'll do anything Hope, as long as I don't have to say goodbye to you" Landon squeezed her before getting up.

"Did you bring a sweater Hope?" he asked, a hint of concern on his face. "I don't think your coat is going to cut it." 

Hope shook her head. She didn't even think about a sweater when she was getting ready.

"I kind of lived in the moment" Hope said, laughing. She flicked her eyes away and blushed. 

"You can wear one of mine" Landon said, walking to his room. Hope watched him disappear and then reappear a few moments later, carrying a black hoodie and Hope's coat in his arms. He gave both to her to put on while he went and grabbed his coat from the front closet.

Hope noticed that the hoodie smelled like Landon and when she slipped it over her head, her senses went crazy. 

"Everything good?" Landon asked, noticing the smile on her face. Hope couldn't help but notice his impish grin.

"Landon?" Hope questioned him, her voice high and her eyebrow raised.

Landon laughed and winked at her. "Yes?" 

"Did you spray this with cologne before giving it to me?" 

Landon put his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. "It's possible" 

Hope shook her head and smiled. Landon laughed and reached out for her. Hope walked into his arms and leaned her head against his chest. 

"I've never met anyone like you Landon" she whispered against him. Hope felt him squeeze her a little harder in response. "You ready?" he asked. 

Hope nodded softly. She felt Landon hesitate briefly before letting her go.

When they got outside, Landon slipped his hand into Hope's and squeezed it tight. "Where do you want to go?"

Hope shrugged her shoulders. "Anywhere" She took a deep breath, grateful for the fresh air.

"Ok" Landon said. Hope looked up, meeting his eyes. He smiled at her before taking the lead and started walking. "I know a place we can go"

The walk was silent, neither attempting to make conversation.

Hope's mind was racing and she couldn't collect her thoughts enough to make sense of anything. 

She tried to shake them off and just concentrate on his hand in hers but Landon must have noticed her inner struggle because he slowed down and turned to face her.

"You ok?" He couldn't hide the concern on his face and it made Hope feel even more guilty for how she felt.

Hope looked away. "It's just my brain." she said softly. "I can't shut it up sometimes" 

Landon didn't say anything at first, instead he just looked at her and she could tell his own mind was contemplating something.

Hope saw something flash in his eyes but he shook it off. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked her.

"No." she replied. "It's just.. I've never, you know, done this " she said waving her hands around "before. I never wanted to. I refused to even let anyone get close enough to me the way you have and I'm just not sure how to do it."

She hesitated. "It's stupid, I know" she said looking away, her eyes filled with tears.

Landon put his finger under her chin and turned her face to look at him. "I've never done this either" he confessed.

"How you feel is not stupid. I can't imagine everything that you could have gone through, and I wish I had met you sooner so I could have been there for you. But I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere. You're a survivor Hope." 

Hope swallowed a sob back. "I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me" Landon added winking, trying to make Hope smile. 

Hope chewed on her lip, digesting what he was trying to say to her. Landon stood there, his hands in hers, not looking for a response from her. 

"We're both broken" she whispered, bringing her hand up to his face. She touched his cheek softly and he closed his eyes, leaning into her hand.

Landon nodded, and Hope felt a tear graze her palm. She leaned into him wanting to take his pain away, briefly forgetting about her own pain.

She stood on her tip toes and grazed her lips against his. The kiss started as a desire to make them both feel better, but they both soon realized the hunger buried deep within themselves. What started out soft, soon became primal and their need for each other won out. Landon pulled Hope's body against his and she reached up to take his head in her hands. She pulled at his face, not wanting him to stop, and she could feel his hands exploring her body, his fingers digging into her. 

Hope let out a soft moan when his teeth softly grazed her lip and it sent shivers down her whole body. Landon pulled away first, his breathing ragged.

They were both flushed and Hope wished she didn't have this bulky sweater on. She fanned herself with her hand which made Landon laugh.

"You too?" 

Hope tried to catch her breath. "Oh..my.." she managed to mumble out but couldn't get any other words to form. 

"Maybe we should" Landon leaned his head towards the way they just came "Head back?" Hope replied, finishing his sentence.

He nodded. "Do you want me to take you home?"

Hope contemplated his question. She wasn't ready for sex, but there was an ache inside her when she thought of being home alone without Landon. 

Landon sensed her hesitation. "Nothing will happen if you don't want it to Hope."

Hope nodded softly, "Ok" She took his hand. "Let's go back to your place then"

Landon smiled and squeezed her hand. Hope's heart was still beating out of control the whole walk back and her mind kept replaying that kiss. 

When they got back into Landon's apartment, he took her in his arms and leaned his forehead against hers.

"Are you sure you're ok with this Landon?" Hope said nervously. 

"Hope" Landon said, looking into her eyes "I've waited my whole life for you." He took her hands in his. "And I'll wait as long as you need me to. You're worth it" he added before leaning in to kiss her again.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope and Lizzie have a heart to heart about Landon.

Hope was sipping her coffee and thinking about her weekend with Landon. She had spent pretty much the whole time at his place and when it was finally time for her to come home, she was surprised with how lonely she felt without him.

Hope called Lizzie right after Landon dropped her off and asked her to come over. She needed someone to talk to, and Lizzie was never one to hide her opinions, which is exactly what Hope needed in this moment.

"I swear to God Hope" Lizzie shouted, breaking through. "You asked me over and you haven't said a single word to me!"

Hope shook off the thoughts in her head. "I'm sorry Liz" she apologized.

"Hey, I'm glad you have taken an interest in someone, believe me. I worried about you for so long." 

Hope tilted her head and stared at her friend. "Thank you Lizzie. You know, for being there for me" 

Lizzie nodded. "So?" she asked, her eyes wide and her face full of excitement. "Tell me all about the mop headed loner" 

"Lizzie!" Hope shot daggers at her friend. 

Lizzie put her hands up "I'm just joking. You know me" Hope laughed and nodded her head. "Yeah, I do know you"

Hope's phone beeped and she saw Landon's name on the screen. Hope felt the blush creep into her face.

" _Hey beautiful. Missing you greatly"_

Lizzie noticed the pink in Hope's cheeks and a smile broke out on her face. "That good hey?"

Hope sighed. "I have to tell you something, but you have to swear not to tell your sister or MG!" 

Lizzie stuck her pinkie out towards Hope "Pinkie swear promise" Hope linked her pinkie with Lizzie's and they shook.

Lizzie leaned closer, her elbows on the table, waiting on Hope to spill. 

"I think.." Hope mumbled, stopping herself for a moment to take a breath.

"I think I'm falling in love with him" she blurted out. Hope looked down, her face bright red and warm.

"Hope" Lizzie said softly "I think that's amazing!" Lizzie got up to hug her friend but stopped when she noticed Hope hesitate.

"What's wrong?" 

Hope shrugged her shoulders. "We barely know each other. It feels like this shouldn't be happening. It's too soon"

Lizzie sat back down and took Hope's hands. "Remember when I said that time doesn't mean anything? You and Landon are made for each other. It's pretty obvious"

Hope looked up at her friend. "But what if we're not?"

Lizzie shook her head, confused. "I'm not following Hope"

Hope sighed and stood up. "I don't deserve him" She paced the floor, wringing her hands together.

Lizzie sat there, dumbfounded. She shook her head. "What do you mean you don't deserve him? You don't think you deserve love?"

Hope walked to the window and looked down at the city, afraid to look her friend in the face.

"I know I don't deserve love" she said trembling.

Lizzie exploded. "This is ridiculous Hope! You deserve every bit of happiness that everyone else has. Fuck, you probably deserve more!"

Hope was surprised by Lizzie's reaction, but the anger she had been bottling up for so long was starting to bubble inside her. "I killed my parents Lizzie! My family is in pieces because I loved them!"

Hope was shaking with rage, but couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her face.

"Loving them is not what killed them Hope" Lizzie softened and went to Hope, pulling her down to sit at the couch.

"How can you think that?"

Hope buried her head in her hands. "Because if it weren't for me, they would still be alive"

Lizzie rubbed Hope's back. "Oh sweetie. Their deaths are not your fault. They loved you more than anything and what happened was sad and tragic, but NOT your fault! Do you honestly think that loving someone will kill them?"

Hope shrugged, and looked at Lizzie. Her eyes were red and swollen. . "I'm scared that anyone I love will ultimately leave me"

Lizzie grabbed a Kleenex and dabbed at the tears on Hope's face. "You love me and Josie don't you?"

Hope nodded. 

"Have you lost us yet?" Lizzie asked Hope. 

Hope sucked in her breath as the Lizzie's words hit her. Her cheeks stung from the tears and she wiped them away.

"What if he doesn't feel the same way Liz?" Hope mumbled softly under her breath. 

"Has he given you any reason to believe he doesn't?" 

Hope shook her head. "He's given me all the reason to believe the opposite actually" 

"That makes a lot of sense" Lizzie exclaimed, nodding her head.

Hope looked at her, confused. "How?"

Lizzie stood up and turned to face Hope. "You're scared. Like fucking terrified actually" Lizzie glued the pieces together in her head.

"You push people away Hope. The minute you feel they are getting too far in, you do this." she said emphatically raising her hands.

"You did it to me too" Lizzie said in a softer voice. "Only I wouldn't let you get away with it" and she laughed.

"And now you are doing it with Landon." Hope looked down at her hands. _You know she's right_

"Hope, don't let him go. This is the first time you have ever truly been happy. HE MAKES YOU HAPPY" Lizzie sat back down next to her friend.

"Let yourself be happy Hope" 

Hope sat and contemplated her conversation with Lizzie after her friend left. She curled herself up in a blanket and hugged a pillow close to her body.

_Can I allow myself to be happy? Really happy?_

Hope opened her phone and texted Landon. " _ **You want to come over**?"_

Landon responded almost instantly. " _ **Would it be weird and creepy if I told you I was already on the way**?"_

Hope laughed. It felt good to laugh after everything that happened today. _" **Yeah, a little bit"**_

_**"Ouch Hope. Good thing I don't get offended easily :P"** _

_**"See you soon?"** _

_**"Open your door already!"** _

Hope looked up quickly, a smile spreading across her face. She jumped from the couch and ran to the door. She fixed her hair with her hands and took a deep breath.

"Hey Landon" she said as she opened the door. He was standing there with a giant bouquet of roses in his arms. He had a huge grin on his face which made Hope giggle. 

"These are for you" he said charmingly. He walked in the apartment and placed the roses down on the table. 

"Also" he said walking back to her "this is for you too" before grabbing her and kissing her passionately. 

"I really missed you today" he said breathlessly afterwards.

Landon looked closer at her face and could see the puffiness in her cheeks still. "Hey, you ok?" he asking, his voice instantly full of concern.

Hope wrapped her arms around him and nodded softly. "Yeah, I just, had an emotional talk with Lizzie today Landon. And it made me realize something"

Landon looked down at her confused. "What did you realize?" 

Hope's eyes looked away from him, and she took a deep breath. "I" she started. "I think I'm in love with you Landon Kirby. And before you say anything, I know its fast and we don't know each other well and if I don't say anything then I'm worried I never will and I " Landon brought his finger to her lips to silence her rambling. Hope sighed. 

"I'm in love with you too Hope Mikaelson" 


	14. Chapter 14

Something woke Hope up. She isn't sure what but all she knew was that she was awake now. She looked over at Landon who was still sleeping peacefully beside her.

After the emotional few nights they've had, they both realized that they couldn't stand being away from each other and now Landon spends most of his time at Hope's place.

Hope leaned up on her elbow and stared at Landon's face in the moonlight. She gently caressed his cheek and his eyes fluttered but he didn't wake. 

_He loves me_. Hope smiled at the thought. She licked her lips, remembering the passionate kiss they shared when he told her he loved her back.

_And now he is in my bed, sleeping next to me_

She wanted to kiss him now but didn't want to wake him. He had work in the morning, and he didn't share the same luxury that she had at making her own hours up. 

Hope yawned and snuggled in closer to Landon. She reached up and kissed him gently before laying her head on his chest and falling asleep to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

"Hope?" Hope woke up to Landon gently shaking her. He was dressed for work already. Hope wondered how long she had been sleeping. 

"You're leaving all ready?" she pouted. Landon laughed and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back tonight, I promise." She crawled out of bed, and followed him out into the living room. 

"I made you coffee" he said while gathering his things. _I'll never get tired of this_

Landon noticed the smile on Hope's face and he raised his eyebrow quizzically. "What are you smiling about?" 

Hope shook her head "Wouldn't you like to know?" she teased. Landon chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist, swinging her around. 

"I love you Hope" He leaned down and kissed her deeply. Her hands were drawn to his face and she softly caressed his cheeks as he kissed her.

_I can definitely get used to this!_

Landon pulled away "I really have to go" he said winking at her before running out the door. Hope watched him leave and tried to brush away the ache that always rose up when he left. 

She pulled out her phone and texted Lizzie and Josie in their group chat. " _ **Still on for this morning?"**_

Hope pulled off Landon's tshirt and threw it on her bed. She threw the rest of her clothes in the laundry basket and hopped into the shower. Landon must have showered when he got up because faucet was still dripping and the cap on the body wash was off. 

Hope blushed as she pictured Landon in the shower while she was sleeping in the bedroom. They haven't see other naked yet and so Hope only had her imagination to go by.

After the shower Hope threw on her sweats and a tshirt and walked out to grab some coffee. 

She looked at her phone and noticed a message from Josie. 

_**"On our way. Coffee?"** _

_**"Landon made coffee. Use your key"** _

Hope poured herself a cup of coffee and cradled the mug in her hands. She curled up on the couch and wrapped her blanket around her legs.

She pulled out her phone and sent off a quick text to Landon. _**"Have a great day at work. See you later"**_

Hope got up when she heard the door to her apartment open. The twins walked in and Hope ran to embrace them. Lizzie held up a bag she was carrying "We brought breakfast"

"You guys are the best!" Hope exclaimed, grabbing the bag and heading to the kitchen to pull out some plates. 

The smell of fresh croissants filled Hope's nose and she couldn't help but salivate. She handed Lizzie and Josie plates, and grabbed a croissant for herself. She refilled her coffee cup and made the twins each a coffee as well. 

They all sat down at the table and munched on their croissants. Hope smiled looking at her friends. "Thank you guys for coming today. I've missed you"

Josie cocked her head to the side and smiled back. "You're in a good mood? Does this have anything to do with Laaaannnndon staying over?" she asked in a singsong voice. 

Hope laughed. "Maybe, but not in the way you are thinking Jo" Hope couldn't control the pink that spread across her cheeks. Josie practically spit out her coffee. 

"You mean you haven't had sex with him yet?!" Hope shook her head quickly. "No, we.. well, we're waiting" 

"Leave her be" Lizzie said to her sister. Hope mouthed a thank you to her and Lizzie winked back. 

"But?" Josie said dumbfounded but stopped herself from continuing. Hope sighed. "I'm not ready Josie. I just admitted that I loved him, I think that's about all I can handle at the moment"

Josie paused. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open slightly. "You told him you love him?!"

Hope looked at Lizzie. Josie turned to her sister "You knew about it and you didn't tell me?!" 

"Josie, I" Lizzie tried to explain herself but Hope stopped her. "I told her not to say anything Jo" 

"How's Penelope?" Hope asked trying to change the subject. Josie shook her head at her, but decided against whatever she was going to say.

"Amazing, as always" Josie beamed. "I am head over heels for that girl" 

"Aww I'm so happy for you Jo" Hope smiled at her friend. "Maybe we should do another movie night? Only this time maybe you guys could actually watch the movie?" Hope teased, winking at her. 

Josie threw a crumb of the croissant at her. "Why? You want to be the horny couple of the couch this time?" Hope blushed and looked at Lizzie who was trying so hard to hold it together.

"Seriously you two" Lizzie said shaking her head. Josie starting laughing at Lizzie's reaction which led to both Lizzie and Hope busting out laughing. 

After a couple of hours of laughing and catching up, the twins had to head out. They both hugged Hope at the door. "Thanks for coming" Hope said, waving. She returned to the kitchen and cleaned up before heading into the spare room to paint. 

She had a few pieces she needed to complete but she wasn't feeling the desire to do it today. 

She pulled out a brand new canvas and lost herself in her new painting. After a couple of hours had passed she examined the work she had done. She out the end of the paintbrush to her mouth and tapped it against her lips, trying to figure out what it was missing. She decided to take a quick break and went out to grab a drink and check her phone.

_" **Hey beautiful. Hope your work is coming along. Miss you"**_

_**"Hey Landon. New painting is.. a work in progress.. The twins want to do a movie night, you game?"** _

_**"Tonight? I was kind of hoping to have you to myself tonight"** _

_**"No, this weekend. I'm all yours tonight"** _

_**"Yes to the movie and hell yes to the last bit"** _

Hope smiled as she read Landon's last message. She put her phone down and went back to her painting. She examined it again when inspiration hit. She pulled out the paintbrush and lost herself to the creative process. 

Time had no meaning when Hope painted, and she hadn't realized how long she had been working until she heard her phone going off in the other room. She rushed out to grab it, eyeing the clock as she went.

_Oh shit! It's after 5 already?_

"Hello? Landon?" she cried into the receiver hoping that she made it in time. But when there was no answer, she hung up and called Landon back. 

"Hey" he said when he picked up. 

"I'm sorry, I was painting and my phone was in the other room" she rushed out. 

She heard Landon laugh into the phone. "No problem. I just wanted to let you know that I was going to go home first and shower before heading over"

"You could always shower here" Hope said softly. There was a pause on the other line. 

"I haven't seen Raf in a bit" Landon laughed "I was hoping to have a quick visit with him after the shower"

Hope quietly sighed. "Ok" she said, her voice low. 

"Hey, you could come to my place tonight instead" Landon suggested. "I would love for you to meet him"

Hope swallowed back her fear. _I hate meeting new people, but he is Landon's brother so I guess I should_

"Raf is heading out to his boyfriend's place tonight so we would have the place to ourselves." 

"Ok, sure" Hope agreed.

"Ok, I'll swing by and pick you up instead of heading home" 

"I need to shower Landon, I'm covered in paint!" Hope giggled. 

"Now that sounds absolutely adorable!" 

Hope clucked her tongue at Landon "Well, you better hurry then or you won't see it"

"Just pulling up now. See you soon!" Hope shook her head and smiled. 

She waited for him to buzz and then unlocked the door, waiting for him. 

He opened the door, and took one look at Hope and broke out into the widest smile. He took her in his arms and hugged her tight.

"Landon!" Hope screamed. "I'm covered in paint! I'll get your clothes dirty!" He laughed and continued to hold on to her.

"Totally worth it!" he teased before kissing her. She forgot all about her protest and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

She melted against his body and any tension she felt immediately washed away. After the kiss, she laughed when she noticed a bit of paint on his neck.

"Oops" she said, holding up her hands covered in paint. Landon chuckled. "You did kind of ask for it though" Hope teased.

Landon grabbed her hands and rubbed them all over her face. "Landon!" she yelled pulling her hands away, laughing uncontrollably. 

Landon gave her a goofy grin and winked at her. "Is that better?" 

"Let's go get cleaned up" Hope said, wriggling her finger at him to follow. 

"Can I see your painting?" Landon asked, trying to peek into the other room. Hope blushed. "It's not finished yet"

"But I promise I'll show you when its done" she added quickly. Landon nodded. 

"You can wash first, since its just your face that is covered" she laughed. Hope handed him a facecloth. "I use the blue soap to wash any paint off my skin" she recommended.

Landon smiled at her and took the facecloth. He disappeared into the bathroom and Hope heard the faucet turn on. She wiped her hands on her sweatpants, trying to get rid of some of the paint. She grabbed an outfit she could put on after her shower and placed it on the bed while she waited.

Landon came out, his face red from scrubbing. "Your turn" he said, licking his lips wickedly. Hope blushed at the way he was looking at her. 

"I won't be long" she stammered, her body all flustered. Her whole body felt like it was on fire and all she could think about while she showered was Landon.

She wanted him to touch her, but every time they got close to the next step, she panicked. He was always so polite about it, but it still made her feel guilty. 

She wanted to go further. She really did, she just didn't know how to move past her fear. He was so patient with her, and respected her desire to wait. But Hope couldn't help but worry about him being frustrated and that it would eventually mean he would leave. She tried to shake the negative thoughts out of her and focus on the shower, but she could feel her body trembling.

Once she was done and dressed, she found Landon sitting on the couch. He smiled when she came out and stood up to greet her. 

"You ready to go?" he asked. Hope nodded and grabbed her coat and shoes. Once she had them all on, Landon took her hand and they left. 

Once in the car Hope pulled out her phone to send a quick text to Lizzie. 

_**"Lizzie. SOS Need to talk"** _

Hope put her phone away and turned to Landon who was concentrated on the road.

"So does Raf know I'm coming over?" Hope asked and Landon nodded. "He knows all about you" 

Hope looked away. "Ok" she said softly. 

"You worried?" he asked, taking her hand and squeezing it. Hope shook her head. "No, I was just wondering" Hope chewed her lip in thought. _What if the brother doesn't approve?_

When Landon pulled into his aparment complex and parked the car, he opened her door and offered his hand to her. 

They walked to the door and before they went inside, Landon turned to Hope and kissed her. "Just breath. He's going to love you" 

Landon called out for Raf when they got inside and Raf came down leaping down the stairs. "Hey Lan!" he called out, embracing his brother. "This the wonderful and amazing Hope you won't stop talking about?" 

Landon punched his brother in the arm and blushed. "Yeah, I told you I didn't make her up!"

Hope laughed. "Pleased to meet you" she said extending her hand. Raf ignored it and hugged her tight. "We're practically family now" he whispered in her ear. 

Hope blushed and looked at Landon who was beaming. "So" Raf said "What's up?"

"Are you going out with Jed tonight?" Landon asked confused. "Oh yeah, in a little bit" Raf replied. "He's just getting off work now and he said he would meet me in about an hour"

"Hope and I were probably just going to order some food and watch a movie" Landon smoothed his hair back before sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Is that what you call it now?" Raf teased, winking at Landon. Hope felt a smile tug at her lips but quickly bit it back. 

Landon turned bright red and reached out and punched his brother in the arm again. Raf roared in laughter. 

"Shouldn't you get going?" Landon said gruffly, pointing to the door. Raf slapped his brother on the back and winked. "Yeah I guess. Don't have too much fun lovebirds" he teased before grabbing his coat and walking out the door.

Landon turned to Hope and shrugged. "I'm really sorry" Hope shook her head, laughing. "And I thought the twins were bad" she joked. 

Landon laughed and took her in his arms. "Ok good, because I don't want you to feel pressured at all, ok?" he said staring into her eyes. Hope looked down and nodded.

Hope's phone started ringing, interrupting the moment. Hope pulled away to check her phone. "It's Lizzie" she said, waving her phone in the air. 

"You can take it in there if you want privacy" Landon nodded towards his room. Hope thanked him and went into the room and shut the door. 

"Hey Lizzie" 

"Hope! SOS? What's going on?" 

Hope sighed. "I'm at Landon's house, in his room actually" 

"You've been there before though right? Do you need me to come get you? Is everything ok?"

"Slow down Lizzie. I'm good, no I don't want to leave and yes I've been here before."

"Ok then, what's up?" 

"I was wondering, about, well, when did you know that it was the, you know, right time?"

"The right time? Oh, you mean sex?" 

"Yeah" Hope still blushed at the word.

"Well, you have to be ready for it. It's not something that you need to rush in to Hope. If you're not ready, you're not ready, and you can't force it to happen. That's how you regret things"

Hope thought for a moment before asking her next question.

"What if, what if he decides its not worth the wait and he leaves?" 

"Well then, he's not the right one for you Hope. Why? Is he pressuring you?"

"No, not at all. He's been a perfect gentlemen. I've just been thinking about it a lot. And I want to be ready, I just don't know how to get past the fear"

Hope choked back a sob. 

"Well then Hope. Just enjoy the time you have with him, and go at your own pace. You'll know when you know"

Hope smiled. "Thanks Liz"

"Anytime"

Hope hung up and hugged the phone to her chest. She heard a soft knock at the door and Landon call out to her. "Everything ok Hope" he asked, concern in his voice.

Hope got up and opened the door. "Yeah, everything is great" she said smiling and taking his hands. Landon leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose.

"I ordered dinner. Your favorite" he said, grinning. 

Hope stood on his tip toes and kissed his lips gently. "Thank you Landon. You're the best boyfriend ever" Hope blushed. "My only boyfriend actually" she laughed.

"Last boyfriend" Landon corrected her, winking at her. Hope raised her eyebrow, watching the smile form across his lips. 

"if you play your cards right" she teased before kissing him and then walking away. 

She sat on the couch and patted the seat next to her. Landon still stood near his room, shaking his head.

Hope laughed and patted the couch again. "Come on silly" Landon ran to the couch and pinned her down and started tickling her. Hope screamed and laughed until she cried. 

"Mercy!" she yelled and he stopped, pulling her up into his arms and planting a kiss on her cheek. 

"That's wasn't fair Landon Kirby" she laughed, bringing her hand up to his hair to brush it out of his eyes.

"You're the one who started to fight dirty" he teased. He pretended to be shocked and put her hand to her heart. "Me?" 

Landon nodded and kissed her. Hope crawled into Landon's lap, straddling his legs. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close.

Hope could feel Landon's excitement and she pulled back. She looked into his eyes and smiled at him. 

He ran his hands up along her back, his fingers toying with the edges of her shirt. Hope gasped when she felt his fingers brush against her bare skin.

He stopped and looked at her, his eyes full of question. "I want you to touch me Landon. I crave it actually. It's all I think about half the time." 

Landon swallowed and nodded nervously. "But?" he asked, reading it in her eyes. "I can't guarantee how far it will go" she blushed and looked away.

"Hope, when will you realize that I'm here for the long haul? I can wait. Besides, this is all new for me too. And I don't want to screw this up"

Landon put his hand under her chin and tiled her face so they were nose to nose. He rubbed his nose against hers and smiled at her. "It's really all you think about?" he teased, biting back the vulnerability he suddenly felt. 

Hope leaned her head against his and sighed. "I really love you Landon" she whispered before kissing him again. 


	15. Chapter 15

Hope woke up to the sound of her phone beeping. She rolled over and grabbed it off the bedside table. This was her first first night alone since her and Landon had started dating. He had a huge project due at work and needed to get up early. He wanted to stay with her, but Hope didn't want to distract him from what needed to be done so she begrudgingly sent him home. 

"Are you sure Hope?" Landon pouted and stared at her with big sad eyes.

Hope sighed. "If you don't go now Landon, I will never be able to let you go" Hope was holding onto his waist and fighting to hold it together.

"Seriously, I am going to change my mind, and I can't feel responsible for you being tired or missing work. That's an order Landon Kirby!" she said through gritted teeth.

Landon shook his head and chuckled softly. "Such a stick in the mud" he teased. Hope scowled at him, but when he leaned down and kissed her, she pressed her body against his and melted in his arms.

She pushed on his chest with her hands and he threw his hands in the air, "Ok ok" He winked at her before leaving, shutting the door behind him. Hope leaned against the wall and put her hand to her lips, softly caressing where Landon's lips just were.

Hope didn't sleep well that night so when the phone went off, she was already awake, just not ready to get out of bed yet. Hope smiled when she saw that the message was from Landon.

_**"Really missed you last night. How are you feeling?"** _

_**" Tired. I didn't really sleep as well as I normally do"** _

_**"Aww, does the fierce Miss Hope Mikaelson miss me?"** _

_**"Careful, or you can spend the night alone tonight too ;p"** _

" _ **Face it babe, you know you miss me when I'm gone. The same way I miss you"**_

Hope brought the phone down and held it against her chest. She was like an open book to him now. And she was head over heels in love.

_**"I really do Landon. See you tonight for movie night right?"** _

_**"Wouldn't miss it for the world. Love you!"** _

Hope dragged herself out of bed and hopped in the shower quickly. She planned on hitting the gym today. She hadn't hit anything since her and Landon had been there and her muscles were screaming at her.

She changed quickly, threw what she needed in her gym bag and headed out. The sun was starting to poke through the clouds and Hope breathed in deep. She loved jogging in the morning because the air smelled like fresh bread and it always reminded her of home. It was one of the only happy memories she had from her childhood. 

When she got to the gym she popped her headphones in and turned on a playlist that Landon had made for her. Some of the songs were originals and she couldn't get enough of his voice. Hope was so distracted that she didn't see someone come up to her until they tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up and saw Penelope standing there smiling at her. Hope ripped the headphones out of her ears and gave Penelope a quick smile.

"Uh, hey" Hope said confused. She didn't know Penelope even came to this gym. Penelope motioned to the bench against the wall. A look of confusion spread across Hope's face. _What is going on?_

Hope followed Penelope and sat down, turning her body towards her.

"Hey Hope" Penelope greeted, looking down at her hands. She sighed and then looked up at Hope's face. "I need your help with something" 

"Everything ok with Josie?" Hope asked concerned. Penelope nodded quickly. "Oh yeah. I'm sorry. Everything is good. Josie is alright."

"Ok then?" Hope was still confused.

"I want to plan a surprise party for Josie and Lizzie. You know it's their birthday coming up and I was thinking it would be fun to plan something" Hope's face lit up with excitement.

"Yeah! For sure! I think that's a great idea!" Penelope broke out into a smile. She sighed in relief. 

"MG is on board too, but seeing as you are their best friend, we both figured you would know what they would like the best"

Hope's phone starting ringing and she saw Landon's face pop up on the screen. "Uh, I have to take this. Give me a minute?" Penelope nodded and Hope walked out to the lobby.

"Hey Landon" Hope said, a huge grin on her face.

"You sound like you're in a good mood" Landon laughed. 

"Penelope just asked me to help her and MG plan a party for the twins' birthday. A surprise party, so don't go saying anything about it tonight!" Hope warned him.

"My lips are sealed. And I think that's a great idea! I only have a couple of minutes but I just wanted to hear your voice" 

Hope swooned and felt her knees go weak. "I'm glad you called. I can't wait to see you tonight." 

"Love you Hope!" Landon said before hanging up. Hope smiled and put her phone away. Penelope came walking out the door and Hope waved her down. 

"Hey, let me give you my number and we can start a group chat with MG to plan things." Penelope opened her phone and saved Hope's number.

"You need a ride home?" Penelope asked Hope. 

"Nah, I'm good. I like the run back. See you tonight" she said before heading back into the gym. Hope finished her circuit and jogged back, but made a quick stop at the store to pick something up for Landon. 

She had been thinking about something for awhile and wanted to surprise him when he got to her place after work.

She also picked up a few snacks for the movie night. Normally Hope would just order something, but she was in a good mood. Landon had really helped her open up to new things and experiences and she found that the small things she used to avoid were now getting easier to accomplish. 

When she got home, she hopped into the shower and scrubbed the sweat off. She dressed quickly and sat down to have a bite to eat before cleaning up and getting ready for the company. 

She looked at her phone to check her messages. 

(Landon) _**"Need anything before I come over?"**_

_**"Just yourself!"** _

(Lizzie) _**"Going to be a little bit late tonight. MG is working late"**_

_**"Ok, see you guys then."** _

(Penelope) _**"Lets meet this weekend with MG to go over plans"**_

_**"Sounds good"** _

Hope laid down on the couch and closed her eyes. She was feeling pretty tired from the night before and figured a quick nap wouldn't hurt.

Hope woke up to her buzzer going off. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and stumbled to the door. She knew it was Landon so she didn't bother to check. 

Landon opened the door to her apartment and scooped Hope up into his arms, before planting a big kiss on her lips.

"Hey beautiful!" Hope blushed. "I will never get tired of that reaction" Landon teased, brushing his finger along her red cheek. 

He cleared his throat and his face went serious suddenly. "Uh, so, do you mind if I hop in your shower quickly?" Hope's blush reddened even more. 

Landon noticed and a wicked grin spread across his face. "You can always join me?" he said slyly. 

"Uh, I, well" Hope stammered, clearly flustered. She looked away in embarrassment. She took a breath and looked back at Landon who was looking at her with a hint of the devil in his eyes. 

"Keep it in your pants Kirby" she blurted out, her face still bright red. Landon laughed loudly and took her in his arms. He kissed the tip of her nose and then walked off in the direction of the bathroom. 

"Offer is always open" he teased before disappearing.

Hope waved her hand in front of her face, trying to cool herself down. A knock at the door distracted her. "Thank god" she whispered to herself.

Josie and Penelope were at the door, and Hope leaned in to hug her friend. "Everything ok?" Josie said, raising her eyebrow in curiosity.

Hope laughed nervously, "Oh yeah. Everything is good" She nodded a quick hello to Penelope and let them in. 

"Where's loverboy?" Josie asked, looking around. 

"He's in the shower" Hope replied, her cheeks turning pink again. Josie smiled and winked at her. "Ok" she said laughing.

"Lizzie and MG will be late" Hope told Josie and she nodded. "Yeah she told me the same thing" 

"We brought drinks" Penelope said, holding up a bag. Josie smiled wickedly. "Don't worry, we will call a cab. There will be no interruptions for you and loverboy"

"Josie!" Hope cried. "You are so bad!" Josie laughed and shrugged her shoulders. 

Landon walked out of the bedroom, his curly hair wet and the tshirt clinging to his muscles. Hope licked her lips. _God he looked good_

He came up and wrapped his arms around Hope's waist. "Hey girls. What's up?" Hope shot daggers at Josie, begging her to not say anything.

"Hey Landon" both Josie and Penelope said in unison. Landon looked at them and laughed.

"You finish each other's sentences now too?" he teased. "Among other things" Josie said, winking at Hope.

"OK!" Hope said, interrupting. "How about we go and sit down?" Penelope nodded and grabbed a couple of drinks out of the fridge. 

Josie suddenly ran to the door and opened it up. Lizzie and MG walked in greeted everyone. "Hey guys" Lizzie called out. 

MG walked up to Landon and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Hey man, nice to see you again" Landon nodded. "Same here"

Once all the snacks were on the table and everyone had a drink, the couples all settled down. Hope snuggled up against Landon and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

The group barely paid attention to the movie though and all ended up just chatting and laughing. When the movie finished, MG snorted, "So much for the movie."

Hope was watching Landon with her friends and she couldn't help but feel proud. For the first time she didn't feel like a 5th wheel and it made her feel connected. 

"You tired babe?" Landon whispered in her ear. Hope nodded and looked up at him. She kissed him gently and smiled.

"And that's our cue to leave" Lizzie called out, shooing her sister and Penelope towards the door, with MG following right behind her.

"See you guys!" Hope called out before locking the door. Hope turned to look at Landon, who was standing there with his hands in his pockets.

She moved towards him and brought her hand up to his hair, tucking a curl behind his ear. "I have something for you" Hope whispered.

Landon raised an eyebrow, "Oh yeah?" Hope nodded and grabbed something out of her pocket. "Close your eyes and open your hand"

Landon smirked and closed his eyes. Hope took his hand and placed the object in it before curling his hand up. She leaned up and kissed his lips, "You can open them now"

He looked down in his hand and saw a small key. "Is this?" he asked, shocked. Hope nodded. Landon's face was in utter awe. He brought his hand up and wiped his eyes. 

"Is it too soon?" Hope said, suddenly worried, her hands shaking.

Landon grabbed her hands and wrapped them tightly in his own. "No, No. Not at all. I just, I've never been so happy Hope. My whole life. And this all feels like a dream" he said waving his hands around the room. 

"I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and this will all be gone. You will be gone" Landon swallowed back a sob and sniffled. Hope brought her hands up to his face. "Oh Landon"

"It's my turn to say that I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me" 

Her heart was beating fast and she took his hand and put it on her chest. "That's what you make me feel, every single time you are near me" 

Hope leaned in and kissed him. Her need for him outweighing everything else. She dug her fingers under his shirt, peeling it up and over his head. When it was off, she kissed along his neck and across his shoulders. 

She could feel him breathing heavy and his hands were trembling. Hope moved to his lips again and moved her hands down to the waist of his sweatpants. He gasped and pulled back.

"Are you sure Hope?" he asked, his voice as serious as he had ever been.

Hope nodded. "Deadly" 

Landon smiled and picked Hope up and carried her to the bedroom, shutting the door behind him with his foot.


	16. Chapter 16

Hope lay there breathless. Landon's arm was draped over her chest, and he had started to lightly snore. Hope couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she the events of last night ran through her head.

His fingers lightly brushing her hips as he removed her pants, and his mouth on her neck, trailing kisses over every inch of naked skin. Hope traced her lips with her fingers, mimicking the path that Landon took along her body.

Her first time with him was absolutely magical. Landon had been so gentle and so aware of everything she was feeling. Their eyes stayed locked to each other as they made love and Hope's heart felt like it would jump right out of her body.

Landon pulling her in closer broke her from her memories, and she turned to look at him. He was awake, and smiling at her. 

"Hey" he whispered. "You aren't sleeping" Hope took her hand and traced along Landon's face. 

"I'm not ready to go to sleep yet. I don't want this to be over" Hope said softly, flicking back a curl that had fallen over his eye.

Landon leaned up on an elbow and looked down into Hope's eyes, the moonlight casting a shadow across her face that took his breath away.

With his free hand, he laced his fingers through hers and brought them up to his mouth to kiss each one.

"We have forever Hope. This is only the first time, but it will not be the last." He leaned down and kissed her, a desire in him rising once again. Hope smiled against his mouth and ran her hand along his bare back.

He moaned against her mouth and it encouraged Hope to continue. A fire had been lit within both of them and they were lost in their own passionate little world. 

It wasn't until the sun broke through the night sky that they both came up for air.

"So" Landon said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, "How about that shower now?"

Hope laughed and gave him a playful slap. "You and I both know that would defeat the whole purpose of getting clean" 

Landon eyes twinkled. "Yeah, I don't see the problem with that" He sat up, the blanket wrapped around his waist, but his chest bare and slick with sweat.

Hope admired him in the light. "You are kind of beautiful" she blurted out.

"I am pretty dreamy" Landon joked and leaned down to kiss Hope. He jumped off the bed, and grabbed a towel from the closet. He looked over his shoulder and smiled slyly at Hope, still laying in the bed.

"You sure you want to pass on the shower?" Hope threw a pillow at him and he jumped back laughing.

"Just go clean up" she giggled. Landon threw her a pretend pout before heading into the bathroom.

Hope curled back under the covers and heard Landon turn the shower on and get in. He was humming and Hope couldn't help but hum along with him. 

"Fuck it" she said, getting up. She ran into the bathroom and tore back the curtain. Landon's eyes grew wide in surprise before he realized what was happening. 

A grin spread across his face as Hope joined him. "Now this is more like it!"

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope's phone was going off as she was getting dressed for the day and she ran into the other room to grab it. She noticed she had a few missed calls from Penelope and also a couple of messages.

She pulled up the messages first. 

(Penelope) _**"Hey, when can we meet up? MG is with me right now, hoping we can get this started."**_

(Lizzie) **_"So??????"_**

(Josie) _**"Please tell me you finally boned loverboy!"**_

(Penelope again) **_"We're stopping by. Please have clothes on."_**

Hope shook her head and laughed. Landon came out of the room and gave her a funny look. "What's up?"

"Penelope and MG are on their way over to plan the party. You want to help us?" 

Landon came over and kissed Hope. "Good thing they only just decided to come over" he said winking.

"I need to go see Raf, but I'll be back later and will help if they are still here?" Landon asked her. Hope nodded. 

"Say hi to Raf for me?" Hope kissed him again before he walked away to get ready to go. Landon nodded.

Hope decided to make some coffee before her friends got there. She walked into the kitchen and started to get everything ready, when she felt arms wrap around her waist. Landon leaned into her neck and placed a kiss that sent shivers down her spine. 

"I'm heading out now beautiful. I love you" he leaned in a kissed her neck again before spinning her around and properly kissing her goodbye. 

Hope was flushed and fanned herself with one hand while making the coffee. She heard the door open and close and she turned to tease Landon about forgetting something when she realized that it was actually Penelope and MG.

"Oh hey, I thought you were Landon" she said flustered. 

"He actually let us in" MG said, before sitting on the couch and making himself comfortable. Penelope came into the kitchen and helped Hope finish up.

"So," Hope asked, as she was sitting down, "what did you guys tell your significant others for this absence?" 

"Actually Peez here got the girls an early birthday present and sent them to a spa for the day, so it was easy peasy" MG laughed. 

Hope looked at Penelope and nodded her head in approval. "Nice thinking"

"Ok" Penelope started, ":Let's get moving. I brought a notebook to write everything down in. First, we are going to have it at the karaoke club that we took you to awhile ago Hope"

Hope looked at her in surprise. "Why there?" 

"I have connections" MG said proudly, patting his own back before laughing. 

"Actually, Landon's bro, Raf, is dating the owner so we got a good deal" 

"Oh, I didn't know that. That's good I guess" Hope said agreeing. "OK"

Hope ran into the kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee. "You guys want any?" Hope called out. 

Both shook their heads no. Hope blew on the coffee, trying to cool it down, as she walked back to the other room.

"So when is this party happening?" Hope asked. 

"2 weeks from this weekend" Penelope answered, looking down in the notebook she had pulled out.

"So I guess music is covered?" Hope asked laughing. MG nodded. "You know it"

"So, what is it you needed my help with then?" Hope asked in curiosity. "It seems like you have everything figured out already"

"Well, WE" MG said pointing to both him and Penelope "need you to make sure you will actually be there, and Landon of course."

"Why wouldn't I be there?" Hope looked at them in questioningly. 

"We know it isn't really your thing, the crowds and all but it is going to be a private party so you won't have to worry about too many people" Penelope said softly. 

"Oh hey!" MG suddenly said loudly. "You think your boyfriend would sing? Dude's got some pipes on him and I think the girls would really like it"

Hope shrugged her shoulders. "I could ask him I guess" 

"Cool" MG turned to Penelope, motioning for her to write that down. 

"How about we figure out the guest list?" Penelope said, breaking the silence that had formed suddenly. Hope sipped on her coffee and nodded her head. "Ok"

Hope's mind wandered as Penelope listed off the people on her list. She missed Landon, even though he hadn't been gone long. 

She thought back to this morning, in the shower and a smile spread like a wildfire across her face, but when she noticed Penelope looking at her, she blushed. 

Penelope raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything, which Hope was grateful for. 

"You know" Penelope said turning to MG "I think we have this covered. Hope looks pretty tired. Maybe we should get going" 

MG looked at Hope totally clueless. "Ok" he agreed and got up. He came over and gave Hope a quick pat on the shoulder. "See ya Mikaelson"

Hope threw Penelope a look of gratitude and mouthed a thank you to her as they walked out. Penelope nodded and mouthed goodbye.

Hope grabbed her phone and scrolled to the messages she didn't get to this morning. 

(Response back to Lizzie) _**"You were right. I couldn't be happier. Thanks for the advice."**_

(Response back to Josie) _**"I don't kiss and tell Jo!"**_

Hope also sent a quick message to Landon. 

_**"Hey, hope you are having some good quality time with your brother. I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when you get home?"** _

Hope turned her phone off and put her coffee cup in the sink before heading into the bedroom and peeling back the covers of the bed. 

She crawled in and curled up, hugging the pillow Landon laid on close to her face. It smelled like him and it helped her feel more comfortable. She fell asleep quickly.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

** LANDON POV  **

"So, what do you think Raf?" Landon asked excitedly. He really needed his brother's approval in order to pull this off. 

Raf cocked his head to the side, thinking. "Are you sure? This is pretty quick"

"Trust me Raf, I have never been more sure about anything in my entire life" Landon smiled, thinking about Hope. 

"Being with Hope is like a breath of fresh air. I knew it the minute I laid eyes on her. Raf, it was love at first sight and you know, I never believed that existed until I looked into her eyes. She looked so... I don't know.. broken.. but her eyes, man her eyes" Landon swooned. "They had fight in them. They had this spark, this fire, this ugh I don't know! There was life behind them, you know?" 

Raf laughed at his brother and put his hand on his shoulder, squeezing it. "Lan, I have never seen you this worked up before. If you say it's right, then it's right. I'm all for it brother." He leaned in and hugged Landon.

"I'm glad you're happy" he whispered.

"Thanks man" Landon said, patting Raf's back in the hug.

Landon grabbed his phone and checked his messages. He saw Hope's and his heart sped up at just seeing her name. 

He didn't want to wake her just yet so he didn't respond. He saw another text and opened it up to answer it. 

_**"Thanks for everything. This is going to be epic!"** _


	17. Chapter 17

Hope awoke with Landon's arms wrapped around her. He must have came back and decided to crawl in beside her instead of waking her up. She shifted her body slowly, as not to wake him, so that her chest was pressed against his. She leaned in and lightly kissed his lips and his eyelids fluttered open. 

"Hey" he whispered. She lightly traced his bare arm with her fingers. 

"Hi" she said softly. "You didn't wake me"

He shook his head slightly. "You looked so beautiful and peaceful. After last night, I didn't want to wake you." 

She smiled thinking about last night and Landon grinned. "So, I was wondering" he said, taking her hand in his and kissing each one of her fingers before continuing, "is if you wanted to go for a walk with me later?"

"A walk?" and Landon nodded. 

"Last time we went for a walk, there was a place I wanted to show you, and since we never made it there, I'd still really like to show it to you" Landon pushed back a strand of Hope's hair that had fallen in her face. 

"I'd really like that Landon" Hope closed her eyes when Landon's fingers brushed over her lips. His touch sent chills coursing through her body.

"Good. Now, you know what we could do to pass the time until then?" A wicked smile spread across his face. 

Hope grinned, "Yeah?" she leaned in and kissed him, "what's that?" she muttered against his lips. He groaned softly before pulling himself away slightly. 

"Breakfast for dinner! I'm making pancakes!" and he jumped off the bed, a mischievous grin on his face.

Hope laughed and clucked her tongue at him. "Tease" she called after him as he ran out of the room, roaring with laughter.

Hope shook her head and giggled to herself. She swung her feet over the edge of the bed and stretched out. _That nap felt amazing. Even better waking up in his arms too!_

She trotted softly to the kitchen and Landon was pulling out all the ingredients. He must have stopped off at the store because there was a paper bag on the counter and Hope knew she didn't buy any ingredients for pancakes. 

She hadn't had pancakes in so long that her stomach was starting to growl and she hugged it tightly. "I guess my body approves of this plan of yours" she said laughing. 

Landon turned to her and Hope laughed even louder.

"What's so funny?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. She grabbed a paper towel off the counter and brought it up to his face. 

"You have a little something here" she said, wiping off his cheek before planting a kiss on it. A light pink spread across his face. "Thanks" he said sheepishly. 

"Need any help?" Hope asked, before giving him a quick kiss. He nodded and handed her the mixing bowl. 

Landon flicked some flour at her and Hope screamed playfully. "Hey!"

Landon laughed and pulled her in close to him. "If everyday could be like this, I'd be the happiest man in the world. Well, even more happy than I am now anyways" he said winking. 

"Let's make these pancakes silly. I'm starving!" Hope laughed and kissed him. Her heart was pounding and she felt a slight tremble in her hands. _Just breath_

After the pancakes, Landon rubbed his stomach. "That was so good! I'm going to need that walk" he joked. 

Hope grabbed the dishes and put them in the sink. Landon came up behind her and kissed the back of her neck. "You wash, I dry?"

Hope nodded and the two of them cleaned up the kitchen together. Afterwards, Hope ran into the bedroom to get changed into warmer clothes for their walk. 

She still had Landon's sweater from their first walk and so she put that on over her other clothes. It still smelled slightly like him and Hope loved wearing it.

He raised an eyebrow at her as she walked out of the bedroom, "That looks familiar" he teased. Hope blushed, "It's comfortable" she protested. 

"It looks better on you anyways" he laughed while throwing another sweater of his over his shirt. 

"Ready to go? We will drive to my place first and then walk from there" Hope nodded and grabbed his hand. 

"I'll use my key to lock up" he announced and winked at her. She giggled. 

Once they got to Landon's place, he ran her bag inside quickly before coming out and grabbing her hand. "Let's go" 

It was starting to get dark and Hope noticed a few stars were starting to shine through the night sky. This walk was much more comfortable than the last one and Hope found it quite peaceful. 

The destination Landon had in mind wasn't too far away from where they had stopped and turned around last time. When they got there, Hope was surprised to find it was a park. She thought she knew everywhere in the city but this little park was an oasis in the middle of all the busyness of life. Landon pulled her towards a little walking trail off to the left. 

"I know a secret place here. It's where I used to come to get away from one of my foster homes. It was silly but I always pictured it as a place that my family would go for picnics and we would laugh and everything would just be happy." Landon looked away quickly, a pain flashing across his face. 

"I don't think that's silly at all Landon" she said, turning to him. She brought her hand up to his face and laid it upon his cheek. He leaned into her touch. 

"Um, it's just up here" he said, pulling back and pointing up the trail. Hope couldn't help the flash of rejection brush across her briefly. But she hid it quickly and nodded, biting down on her lower lip. 

They continued to walk down the trail until the came to a small clearing. It was a small green patch of grass circled by thousands of blooming flowers. There was a clearing up above and Hope could see the stars shine through creating a halo of light bouncing off the grass and flowers. She gasped at the beauty. Landon kneeled on the grass and gently pulled Hope down to sit with him. 

She gazed up at the stars and was mesmerized. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen" she gasped. 

"Second most" Landon said, staring at her. Hope blushed and looked at Landon. He was staring into her eyes, a small smile on his face. 

"My wish came true" he whispered, looking away. Hope looked at him confused. "What wish?"

"When I was little I wished so hard for a family, and for someone to love me. I vowed that when I found it, I would bring them here, and share this little piece of heaven with them." his voice cracked slightly. 

"And well, now, you're here with me" Landon looked back at Hope, and she could see his eyes glisten with tears. 

"You haven't brought anyone here before?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. He shook his head. "I never wanted to before" 

Hope felt overwhelmed with emotions and the only thing she could do was grab his face and pull him towards her. She ran her fingers through his hair as she kissed him, and she could feel a slight tremble in his body.

"I love you so much Hope" he said. "I think I always will" before leaning in and kissing her again.

Hope laid with her head on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around her. They were both breathless but content. 

'Oh!" Landon said suddenly. "How did party planning go?" Hope shrugged her shoulders. "Ok I guess" Landon shifted his body so that they were looking at each other. 

He raised his eyebrows, questioning her answer. "They didn't really need me. I mean, Penelope had it all figured out pretty much. They are doing it at the club, which by the way you didn't tell me that Raf's boyfriend was the owner!"

Hope playfully smacked his arm. "It never came up" Landon laughed. "So, its all set though? When is it? I'm invited right?"

Hope nodded. "I'm dragging you there whether you like it or not!" she exclaimed. "But yeah, it's all set. Two weeks from now"

"Can Raf and Jed come?" Landon asked. 

"Well, Jed does own it right? It would be rude not to invite him. Plus, Raf is friends with MG so I'm sure he's invited already anyways"

Landon nodded. "Oh right. That's good. Raf likes a good party. Plus I'd like my brother to get to know your sisters" he said winking. 

Hope suddenly shivered and shifted herself closer to Landon. "You cold?" he asked and Hope nodded. 

"Ok, let's head back to my place" he said, getting up and wiping his pants off before offering a hand to Hope. 

They walked quickly back to his apartment and Landon instantly grabbed a blanket from the couch and wrapped it around Hope's shoulders. 

"You want something warm to drink?" he asked, concern in his voice. Hope shook her head and put her hands out. 

"Just come snuggle with me?" she asked, her voice soft and suggestive. 

Landon didn't need to think about it and practically skipped towards her. He sat on the couch and pulled her down into his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. 

He tucked his chin on her shoulder and she leaned back against him. 

"So where's Raf tonight?" Hope asked. 

Landon shrugged. "Probably with Jed. Not sure if he will be home tonight or not. Why?"

Hope turned around so that she was straddling his lap. "The last time we were here we started something. I'd like to finish it" she said suggestively, before leaning in and running her lips across his neck. Her hands found their way under his shirt and ran up along his chest. She felt his body shiver. She smiled wickedly before crushing her mouth down on his. His hands tugged at her sweater and he lifted it up over her head before their mouths found each other again. Landon moaned as Hope shifted her body slightly. He had his hands up under the straps of her bra, when they heard a commotion from the door. 

"Shit!" Landon yelled. He looked frustrated and annoyed at the same time. They heard laughter outside the door and keys fumbling around in the lock. "Let's continue this in my room"

Landon stood up, picking Hope up with him. She wrapped her legs around him tightly and laid a trail of kisses along his jawline as he carried her to the bedroom and shut the door behind them, just in time.


	18. Chapter 18

The last two weeks had gone by so quickly for Hope. Landon had practically moved into her apartment, even though they hadn't made anything official. She just couldn't sleep without him next to her, and so she never said anything to him about being at her place so often. Raf seemed to enjoy having the apartment to himself, and spent more time there than he ever had before, Landon was saying. They talked about who's place they would stay at often, but the destination usually ended up at Hope's, simply because there were never any distractions and Hope and Landon enjoyed the privacy.

It was the night before the surprise party and Landon had left to spend some time with Rafeal, so Hope invited the twins and Penelope over for the night. 

The girls had made some drinks and settled in on Hope's couch with some chick flicks on the tv. 

"You and Landon have been pretty busy lately huh?" Josie asked, winking at Hope. 

"Well, wouldn't you? Look at him!" Hope beamed, winking back at Josie. Both girls laughed and nodded. "Yeah, he's pretty intense and I imagine that carries over everywhere" Josie implied. 

Hope blushed, but did not hide the smile on her face. "Yeah, he is pretty intense" Hope replied but not really answering Josie's implications. 

"Did we really come here to talk about Hope's sex life?" Lizzie said in disgust. "Agreed" Penelope piped up, her arm wrapped around Josie's waist. 

"Hope has a sex life! That's definitely something to talk about Liz" Josie sneered at her sister while snuggling in closer to Penelope.

"Ouch" Hope said, bringing her hands up to her chest. Josie looked at her and laughed. "Sorry Hope."

"No, you're right" Hope said laughing. 

"I'm glad you guys could come over tonight though. I've really missed our girls nights. And it being your birthday and all, this was overdue" Hope raised her glass in a cheer to the twins. 

"So where is Mr. Perfect tonight?" Lizzie asked Hope.

"He's with his brother. They haven't spent any time together either" she said laughing.

"They needed a guys night as per Raf's suggestion. But he'll be back later" 

"So what are your plans for your birthday?" Hope asked. Penelope gave her a look, but Hope shrugged her shoulders. She was just trying to throw them off and Penelope must understand that.

"I think we're going to go clubbing" Lizzie piped up. "Josie and Penelope are going to the karaoke club, so I think I'm going to drag MG there as well. We haven't been since that night you met Landon" 

"I've already picked the perfect song for us to sing" Josie said looking at her girlfriend. Penelope beamed and leaned in for a kiss. 

"Get a room!" Lizzie yelled, throwing a pillow at them. 

"We could use Hope's room" Josie said, winking. "Ugh please no" Hope cried, shaking her head. 

"Guys, are we even watching the movie?" Penelope asked, trying to change the subject. All the girls burst out into laughter. 

"We need another round" Lizzie said, getting up. "Hope?" she motioned for Hope to join her in the kitchen.

When they weren't in earshot, Lizzie leaned over to whisper in Hope's ear. "You and Landon are coming tomorrow right?" 

Hope shook her head, "What do you mean?" Lizzie sighed. "I know about the party Hope." 

Hope looked at Lizzie in shock. "What? How?" 

"Penelope told me. But it isn't what you think. It's not actually a surprise party for our birthday Hope. She wants to propose to Josie."

"Oh!" Hope said in realization, her mouth dropping open.

"That's why its super important for you to be there." Lizzie added.

Hope nodded. "Yeah of course. She'd kill me if I missed that"

Lizzie laughed. "Yeah she really would"

"Don't mention it to anyone that I told you though ok?" Lizzie asked, her voice soft. 

Hope nodded. "No problem" They finished making the drinks and brought them out to the other room. 

"Let's drink up and really get this party started!" Lizzie yelled, raising her glass in the air. All the girls laughed and raised their glasses along with her.

When Landon walked in, the girls were still partying. The tv was off and all he could hear from outside was them laughing. 

"Hey ladies" he said, walking in. "Landon!" they all shouted in unison. Hope came running up to him and threw her arms around his neck causing him to take a step back and brace himself against the wall.

"Hey baby" she yelled, stumbling a little bit. Landon moved the hair out of her face and leaned in for a kiss. "Hey" he said smiling. 

"Loverboy is here!" Josie yelled, causing all the girls to burst out into laughter.

"Looks like you all are having a good time" he laughed. The girls cheered which started the laughter all over again.

"Landon, sweetheart" Penelope said, her voice dripping with sweetness, "We are gonna need you to call us a cab" 

"Yeah, we aren't going to stay and listen to you and Hope all night" Josie added. 

Hope blushed and stuck her tongue out at Josie. Josie just laughed and hung on to Penelope's waist. 

"I already called MG" Lizzie said, "He'll drop you guys off" Hope hugged them all goodbye. "See you!" 

After they left, Landon grabbed Hope by the waist and pulled her down on to the couch with him. 

"Good time?" he asked, twirling her hair between his thumb and his finger. Hope nodded and leaned back against him.

"You?" she asked. Landon nodded. "Yeah, I helped Raf and Jed out at the club, you know, to get ready for tomorrow"

Hope wondered if he knew about Penelope's plan, but wasn't sure if she should bring it up.

"Is it all ready?" she asked instead. "Yeah, looks pretty good too" he replied, wrapping his arms tighter around her and kissing the top of her head. 

"Did you decide if you're going to sing? I know Penelope had wanted you to" 

Landon smirked. "Yeah, MG asked me. I told him I would think about it" 

Hope laughed, "I would really like for you to sing. But I am biased" she teased.

Hope turned around and leaned her forehead against his. "No pressure of course" she added.

He nodded and kissed her. "Tired?" 

"Yeah, it's been a long day" she said yawning. She climbed off his lap and offered him her hand. 

The next morning, Hope woke up with a pounding headache and the smell of coffee drifting through the air. She turned over and saw a note. a glass of water and some advil on her bedside table. 

_"Figured you would need this. Coffee is fresh. Drink some water as well._

_Had to run some errands but I'll pick you up later for the party._

_~Landon"_

Hope groaned as she sat up. She popped the advil in her mouth and downed them with the cup of water. Hope squeezed her eyes shut from the bright morning and decided to lay back down. She brought the covers up over her head and curled up into a ball before falling back asleep.

When Hope woke up again, she felt a little better but her throat was really dry. She dragged herself out of bed and made her way to the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee. It was still hot, thank goodness and Hope made a mental note to thank Landon later. She curled up on the couch with her coffee and turned the tv on. She didn't normally watch TV but Hope had no energy to do anything else and figured that a lazy day was in order especially since the party was tonight.

Hope sipped the coffee and flicked through the channels before finally landing on a TV movie about a girl who was kidnapped and found years later. Hope enjoyed the quiet. It was the first time in a long time that she felt at peace, and a lot of it had to do with Landon. He opened her up and helped her heal something she didn't know she needed healed. She still had a long way to go, but she was happy, for the first time in a very long time. 

Hope wandered into the spare room and stared at the painting she had yet to finish. It was of Landon, with the guitar across his lap, from the first time she had been to his place. 

The moment, in her mind, was the moment she truly admitted to herself how she felt about him so the painting held so much meaning to her. She wanted to surprise him with it, but she wasn't sure how to finish it. There was something missing and it irritated Hope that she couldn't figure it out. She sighed and brought her hand up to the painting, gently tracing the outline of Landon's body. "What am I missing?" she said out loud to herself. 

"Hope" she heard Landon call out as he knocked softly on the door. Hope grabbed a cloth that was on the table and quickly threw it over the painting. She wasn't ready for him to see it yet, but Landon didn't come in and Hope was relieved.

She went to him and closed the door behind her, before wrapping her arms around his waist. "Hey" she whispered, before kissing him. 

"How you feeling?" he asked, his hand brushing her forehead gently. Hope smiled at him. "Better, now that you're here" 

Landon chuckled softly. "That's good to hear. I brought you food" he said, pointing towards the kitchen. 

"You're the best Landon" Hope said, clapping her hands together. Hope didn't realize how hungry she was until her stomach growled. She laughed, "Just in time apparently"

Landon smiled and followed Hope into the kitchen. She grabbed a plate of food and sat down to eat. He did the same and joined her.

"This is amazing Landon, thank you so much" 

"Anything for my girl" he said, grinning at her.

"So, you get everything done that you needed to do?" Hope asked out of curiosity. Landon nodded, his mouth full of food. 

"We should probably start getting ready after this" Landon said once he swallowed the bite he was chewing on. 

"I have to shower quickly" Hope said, nodding in agreement with him. Once she was done, she gave Landon a quick kiss and ran into the bedroom to hop into the shower. 

She scrubbed clean and washed her hair quickly. Afterwards she dried herself off and wiped her hand across the steamy mirror. She looked at herself in the mirror and stared at the girl looking back at her. 

_You look happy_ she thought to herself. She touched her cheeks and watched as the mirror Hope did the same. Her eyes looked brighter and her cheeks were rosier. _Is that really me?_

Hope shook her head, snapping herself out of it. She grabbed a brush and ran it through her hair until it was soft and wavy. She put on a bit of makeup and smiled at reflection. 

After Hope changed into fresh clothing appropriate for tonight, she found Landon laid back on the couch, a book in his hands. She smiled and walked up to him, brushing her hand through his curly hair. 

"Hey" he said sitting up to look at her. "Wow" and Hope blushed. "You look amazing Hope"

He was wearing a dark button up shirt, the sleeves pushed up on his arms and tight black jeans. Hope could see the outline of his muscles and it made her body twitch in excitement.

Landon grinned as he saw her eyes move up and down his body before finally settling on his face. "Like what you see?" he teased.

"Very much so" Hope replied, licking her lips. "You sure we have to go?" 

Landon nodded. "I'm sure" Hope laughed. "Yeah, I know. But you owe me a raincheck" she said winking at him. 

He wrapped his arms around her. "Oh, I'm going to hold you to that promise Hope Mikaelson"

"Let's go. The party awaits!" 


	19. Chapter 19

When they got to the club, Hope was surprised to see how full the parking lot was already.

As they walked in, Hope noticed the whole place was filled with roses, every table had a bouquet on them and the fragrance filled the entire place up. There were sparkly streamers hanging from the ceiling, dancing in the air and causing rainbows to bounce off all the lights in the room. There were tables lined with food, ranging from hot appetizers all the way to cupcakes, and an array of different pastries. All the tables had been pushed to the sides so that there was a huge dance floor in the middle of the room. 

"Wow, they really went all out didn't they?" Hope said gawking at the room. Landon smiled, "It's an important night" he said softly. 

Hope turned to look at him. _He must know Penelope's_ _plan_

"There's Raf and Jed" Landon said, grabbing her hand and pointing towards the bar. They made their way across the dance floor towards Landon's brother. He was laughing and had his arm around a good looking guy that must be Jed. 

"So this is Hope!" Jed said, opening his arms to her. She blushed slightly but didn't move towards him. 

Landon noticed her hesitation and hugged Jed instead, creating a barrier between the two of them. She was grateful that she didn't have to explain herself to Landon. He held on to her hand as they all chatted, and Hope felt safe next to him. 

"The girls should be here soon" Hope piped up, noticing the time. Landon nodded and waved goodbye to his brother. They made their way to a table at the side to wait for the guests of honor. 

"You need a drink?" Landon asked her. Hope nodded and told him what she wanted. He walked off towards the bar and ordered their drinks. Hope watched as he waved Raf over to the bar and whisper something in his ear. Raf nodded and walked off. Landon grabbed the drinks and made his way back to Hope. Hope was enjoying the music that was playing lightly in the background. 

"Everything ok?" she asked motioning towards Rafael. 

"Oh yeah. Just giving him a heads up about the twins" Landon replied. Hope noticed a sliver of nervousness in his voice and looked at him curiously. He smiled at her before bringing his drink up to his mouth and took a sip. 

She brushed off her feeling of unease and checked her phone. Penelope said they were right around the corner so she expected they would walk any time now.

"I love this song" she exclaimed, pointing her finger up in the air. Landon smiled at her and nodded, "I know" before turning his head towards the front door. 

"There they are" Landon said pointing. Hope looked up just in time to see the twins breeze through the door like they owned the place. 

Hope smiled and waved at them, calling them over. 

"Wow! This place looks amazing!" Josie exclaimed, looking around in awe. Penelope winked at Landon, which made Hope suspicious. 

"Landon helped decorate" Penelope said quickly when she noticed Hope's expression. 

"Oh yeah, he told me that" Hope said, relieved but feeling a bit stupid for not remembering that small detail. 

"The roses are beautiful" Hope said to Landon. "I love roses"

"I know" he said smiling. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Josie and Lizzie wink at each other. 

"Happy Birthday!" Hope said forgetting. She threw her arms out towards the twins and they both laughed before leaning in to hug her back. 

"Are you surprised?" Hope asked, her eyes wide.

"Should we be Hope?" Josie laughed. Hope stood there even more confused than ever.

She hadn't even realized that Landon had snuck off as she hugged the twins and she looked around for him but didn't see him anywhere. 

"But?" Hope stuttered, trying to make sense of everything. 

"I thought.." she looked at Penelope, begging for her to help. "Isn't this a surprise party for their birthday?" 

Hope was trembling now and was starting to get extremely worried.

"This is your party Hope" Lizzie said, putting her hand on her shoulder and turning Hope to face the stage. 

All of a sudden the lights turned off and Hope heard a familiar voice on the mic. 

"I'd like to thank you all for coming here tonight" and the crowd cheered. 

Then a spotlight opened up on the stage, illuminating Landon standing in the center with his guitar slung across his chest. 

"I know not all of you know Hope, yet" he added. "But everything in this room is something that Hope loves. From the flowers, to the food and the music and even down to her most favorite people. This night is all about the amazing, beautiful girl I am in love with"

Hope looked at the twins, some panic in her eyes. "What is going on?"

Josie winked at her "You'll see" Lizzie put her hand around Hope's shoulder and pulled her in. "Trust us" she whispered. "You're going to love it"

"So, a couple of weeks ago, I asked Hope's closest friends to help me with planning this party, but we had to get creative. You see, Hope and I met in this club. At that bar actually" he said, pointing towards the bar.

"And it was love at first sight for me. I knew that this girl was the one I was waiting for." Landon walked down the steps of the stage, the spotlight following him. 

"Hope, you are the kindest, bravest, strongest person I know. And you accept me, flaws and all, and I never thought I would find someone like you." He walked towards Hope, until he was right in front of her. 

"Will you join me on the stage? I wrote a song for you" Hope blushed and felt her feet locked in place. Landon put out his hand, begging her with his eyes to take it. She felt Lizzie push her lightly from behind. Hope grabbed his hand and nodded.

She could hear her friends cheering from behind her, which made her blush even more. When they got to the stage, she noticed Raf on the side of the stage, beaming. 

Landon pulled up a stool off to the side and placed it down for Hope to sit on. He didn't take his eyes off her as he placed his fingers on the strings of the guitar and started to sing.

" _About those eyes, the way they spark when she's about to pick a fight_

_And when we disagree and she knows that she's right_

_About that smile, she tries to hide because that's what they expect her to,_

_But when no ones watching it lights up the room_

_About the time you think you've locked your heart up safely_

_Someone breaks right through_

_And all of her fascinating contradictions are beautiful to you_

_I'm falling for a girl and I cant wait to tell you all about her"_

Landon finished his song and turned to see Hope sitting there with tears streaming down her face. He handed his guitar to Rafael and took Hope's hands in his own. 

"That was beautiful Landon" she said through her tears.

Landon smiled at her and pulled her up from the stool. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lightly on the lips. 

"Landon" she gasped, suddenly realizing there were people watching them. 

Landon laughed, "oh yeah" and he looked out at the people circling the stage. Some were people that Hope recognized and some must have been friends of Landon's.

"Hope?" Landon put his hand under her chin and gently lifted it until she was looking at him. "I wanted to do something special for you, because you are the type of girl that deserves special"

He looked out over at her friends. "I had some help" he said grinning and they all cheered.

Landon turned back to Hope and slipped his hand into his back pocket. Hope's heart sped up as she realized what he was about to do.

He got down on one knee and pulled out a ring. "Hope, you are the home I have been searching for my whole life, and I want to spend the rest of my days with you by my side"

"If you'll have me" he added nervously. Hope stood there, stunned and speechless. She looked at Landon, kneeling down in front of her, looking at her with admiration. 

"Will you marry me?" 

She loved him. She loved him more than anything in this whole world. And she couldn't imagine a life without him. She turned to look at her friends, who were all watching her with anticipation.

"Hope?" Landon's voice was barely a whisper and she saw the slight tremble in his chin. 

She couldn't find her voice. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. She wanted to scream from the rooftops, and let the whole world know that she wanted him as much as he wanted her, but all she could manage was a slight nod of the head.

He sighed deeply and slid the ring on her finger before twirling her around in his arms. A roar of cheers erupted from the crowd and Hope noticed that someone had turned the music back on. Landon leaned in and kissed her deeply, his arms hugging her tightly to his body.

At that moment, they were the only ones in the room to her. She looked into his eyes and saw her future. "I can't wait to be your wife" she whispered before kissing him again.

"She said yes!" Landon yelled from the stage and threw their interlocking hands up in the air.

Hope laughed at him and shook her head in slight embarrassment.

Her friends all crowded around her as she left the stage and admired her ring.

"I'm going to get you all back you know" she scolded them and they all laughed at her.

"Sure Hope" Lizzie goaded back before pulling Hope into a hug. "I'm so happy for you" she whispered in her ear.

Hope squeezed her friend back. "Thank you"

"Ok, now let's party!" Josie yelled into the crowd and pulled Penelope to the dance floor. 

Hope and Landon looked at each other and burst out laughing. "You know they are part of the package right?" Hope teased.

"I wouldn't have it any other way" and then Landon pulled her out onto the dance floor to dance with their friends.

"Thank you Landon" Hope said to him later once they had gotten home. "That was probably one of the best nights of my life"

Landon was straddling her back and rubbing her shoulders as she lay on the bed. "I have to admit, I was a little worried that you would say no" Landon whispered.

Hope turned over and sat up. She cupped his cheek with her hand "Why?" Landon sighed. "Well, its not because you don't love me, I know you do. It's just I worried that it was too much. I almost called it all off actually" He rubbed the back of his neck, snagging some of his hair in his nails. "I know you aren't a fan of crowds, but I knew it needed to be where we first met. So I thought if I could control who the crowd was..." he blushed when he met Hope's eyes. 

"Landon." Hope said, taking his face in her hands. "No one, I mean no one, has ever done for me what you have done. You have made me feel more alive than I ever have in my whole life. You are my future Landon Kirby"

"And you are mine, Mrs. Landon Kirby" He winked at her and Hope had to hold back a giggle. She grabbed his face and pulled him in for a kiss.


	20. The Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last chapter for this story.

Hope woke up and turned over, throwing her arm to her left. When it landed with a thud on the bed, she woke up startled. Her brain panicked a minute before she realized that Landon had not spent the night last night. 

An ache rippled through her body as the wave of loneliness hit her. They hadn't been apart since he proposed, and she didn't know how to function properly when he didn't wake up beside her in the morning. 

Her body had grown so accustomed to his presence that one night apart felt like a thousand. 

Hope sat up slowly, her hand clutching her shirt against her chest. She willed her breathing to slow down, trying to focus on the reason why Landon was not with her at the moment. 

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, breathing heavily as she tried to focus her fuzzy mind. Hope's eyes snapped open at the sound of her bedroom door opening. She turned her head to see Lizzie and Josie standing at the door, holding coffee and beignets. 

"How are you feeling?" Lizzie asked as she came to the bed and sat down on the edge. She handed Hope a cup of coffee and motioned for Josie to take a seat opposite her. Josie handed Hope a beignet, "Eat"

Hope shook her head, her stomach too knotted up to put anything inside of it. 

Lizzie sighed. "Hope, this is supposed to be the happiest day of your life" She tucked a piece of hair behind Hope's ear before continuing "Why don't you seem excited?"

Hope shrugged her shoulders. "I.. it's hard waking up without him.." Lizzie let out a small chuckle. 

"You know he's with Raf.. It's not like he's gone for good" Lizzie tried to hand the coffee to Hope again. Hope took it, sighing. "I know"

"So, this will be the only night you have to be without him. Then it's the rest of your life" Lizzie smiled and offered her hand to her friend. "Come on, let's get you ready"

Hope swung her shaky legs over the side of the bed and took a moment to steady them before getting up. 

"Now, " Lizzie spouted, "I have the hair and makeup people coming at 10, the caterers are all set, the flowers look _amazing,_ and everything is all in place." 

Josie laughed at her sister's enthusiasm. "You would think she was the one getting married" she teased, elbowing Hope softly in the side. 

Hope smiled and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness for you guys. I'm so glad you are with me right now" 

Both girls turned to look at her. "We wouldn't have it any other way. We're sisters." 

A knock at the door interrupted the moment. "Oh!" Josie exclaimed. "That's Pen!" Josie turned and ran towards the door. When she opened it, she scooped her girlfriend in her arms and twirled her around. 

"Hey baby" Josie whispered, before planting a kiss on Penelope's lips.

"Ugh" Lizzie exclaimed. "Get a room already!" She winked at Hope who let out a little laugh. 

"We could always use Hope's!" Josie teased and Hope shook her head. "No thank you! This is my day right? Focus!" 

Penelope laughed and gave Josie a playful slap. "Behave now Jojo" 

"Let's get ready!" Lizzie exclaimed and dragged Hope to the table. "Sit, relax. Drink your coffee. Let us handle everything"

The next few hours were spent pampering Hope. The girls flitted around her, screaming orders and making sure everything ran smoothly. 

Once it was time to go, Lizzie grabbed Hope's dress and flung it over her arm carefully. "Let's go" All the girls piled into the limo, laughing. 

* * *

Landon paced back and forth. His tux was on but he was having trouble getting his tie just right. 

"Raf!" he pleaded. "My hands are shaking.. why are my hands shaking? I shouldn't be this nervous!"

Rafael laughed at his brother and placed his hands on his shoulders. "You are marrying the girl of your dreams Lan. You got this!" 

Landon nodded, giving his brother a slight smile. He _wasn't_ nervous about marrying Hope. She was the only thing in his life he was absolutely sure about, so he wasn't sure exactly what it was that was making his body react like it was. Raf could sense his hesitation and and looked at Landon in confusion. 

"This is what you want, right?" He moved in and fixed Landon's tie, while trying to read his brother's face. 

Landon nodded. "More than anything" 

"Ok then" Rafael stated, his hands clapping Landon on the chest briefly. "I'm here for you brother"

Landon leaned in and hugged Rafael. "Thanks Raf"

When the knock on the door came to let them know it was time, Landon's stomach did flips. "Here we go" he whispered to himself. 

His hands were sweating and he wiped them on his pants, trying to dry them off. He really didn't want Hope to have to hold his hands when they were so gross.

He rolled on the balls of his feet as he waited up front for Hope, his hands at his side, and holding his breath. 

He looked out at the small crowd of friends and family, trying to distract himself. But once the music started to play, his eyes were focused on the aisle between the seats. 

Hope's nephe, Nik, named after her father, came out first, holding the rings that they had picked out together. At his side was a little girl about the same age, tossing flower petals up in the air after each step. 

He smiled and thought about what it would be like when him and Hope had kids. They were a long way from that, but he still loved the thought of a mini Hope running around. 

Josie and Penelope came out next, followed by Lizzie and MG. Landon took a deep breath. He knew Hope was next, and his heart sped up. 

He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. When he opened them, Hope was standing at the end of the aisle, her arm linked through her Uncle Kol's arm. 

Landon's breath caught in his throat. He had to blink rapidly to take in the image standing there in front of him. 

She was absolutely breathtaking. And in that moment, all he wanted to do was run to her and take her in his arms. He missed her so much last night, and he hadn't realized how much his body craved hers, until she was there in front of him. 

The dress hugged her curves from her shoulders down to her waist, and then erupted like flames dancing around her legs with every step she took. The sparkle in the dress bounced off the lights, casting small rainbows all over Hope's skin, making her look more like something out of a fairy tale. There were gasps from the crowd as Hope walked by, everyone mesmerized with the girl in the princess dress. 

Landon couldn't take his eyes off her. All the nervousness he was feeling before, gone, and all that was left was the desire to feel her in his arms. 

When she smiled at him, his knees went weak, and he felt Raf's hand on his back, holding him up. 

"Hi" she said softly, casting her eyes down. He took her hands in his, and squeezed them tight. "Hi" he whispered back, and the sound of his voice brought her eyes up to his face. 

"You're stunning" he murmured, before getting the "shh" from the officiator in front of them. 

When the time for the kiss came, Hope threw herself into Landon's arms, hungrily taking his lips against hers. He stumbled back and laughed. 

"I missed you too" he teased, before kissing her again. Raf bumped his shoulder softly against Landon, causing him to pull away from Hope. A small pout formed on her lips and she glared at Rafael. 

"Sorry Hope" he said laughing, before pointing down the aisle. Hope turned to see all the people standing and waiting on her and Landon. She blushed and turned to look at him.

"Oops" he said, winking at her. They both burst into laughter and grabbed each other's hand. Landon raised their interlocked hands in the air and yelled "Mrs. Landon Kirby everyone!" 

Everyone clapped and the happy couple made their way down the aisle. 

Later that night, Hope curled up in Landon's arms, her body finally content and at peace. 

"I missed you so much last night" she said, her hand curled in his. He turned over and propped himself up on his elbow. Hope ran her fingers up and down his bare arm, stopping briefly on the small scars that peppered his skin. He leaned in and kissed her softly. "I missed you too"

She smiled against his mouth, before kissing him again. "Promise we will never spend another night apart again" 

He leaned back and placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head up so her eyes were focused on his. 

"I've spent too many nights without you for one lifetime. You're my home, Hope. Always and Forever" 

* * *

(10 years later)

Landon brushed the hair back from the face of the sleeping child. She was wrapped tightly in her mother's arms, her wild hair flung out like a furry halo framing her face. 

He leaned down and kissed his wife softly on the cheek before scooping up the tiny girl in his arms. 

"Daddy?" squeaked the small voice. "Shh, baby. Go back to sleep" he whispered in her ear and hugged her closer to his chest. Her small body fit into his arms so naturally, and he closed his eyes softly as his lips found her tiny forehead. "I love you little bird" he softly said to her as he laid her down in her bed. She stirred but didn't wake up as he wrapped her blankets around her. He traced her cheek softly with his finger and leaned in and kissed her again. "Sleep well my love"

Hope was awake when he got back into their room. She looked tired but her face lit up immediately upon seeing him. 

"Hi" she said softly, bringing her arms up to embrace him. He fell into her arms and kissed her passionately. 

"God I missed you" he whispered. Hope leaned her head against his. "Me too"

"And" he said, bringing his head down to kiss Hope's stomach "I've missed you too!" 

Hope laughed and ran her fingers through Landon's hair. "Hayley tried to stay up to wait for you, but crashed pretty quickly" 

"And this guy?" Landon asked, his hand tapping Hope's swollen tummy. "He's been behaving I hope?"  
  


"For now" Hope teased. "But if he's anything like his father, he won't be for long" 

Landon grabbed Hope and pulled her down to him. "Are you implying something Mrs. Kirby?" 

Hope laughed and snuggled into her husband's arms. She curled her fingers through Landon's. 

"I love you Landon Kirby."

He looked down at her and smiled. "I love you too Hope Mikaelson...Kirby" he said laughing and leaned in and kissed his wife.


End file.
